Throughout much of the history of ecological science, wildfires were viewed as disasters that destroyed ecosystems. Currently, however, most scientists and managers have overcome this shortsighted view and now consider fires as ecological processes that influence structure and function in many ecosystems worldwide. Despite this, there remain several outstanding controversies regarding fire's ro...

nvasive plant species occur throughout all floristic regions of California, but their spatial extent, diversity, and impacts within these regions vary considerably. Alterations of natural disturbance regimes have made communities more susceptible to these invasions (Brooks et al. 2004). Fire is a natural and chronic disturbance in many California plant communities and has been observed to promo...

fire is one of the most important ecological factors in semi-steppe rangelands directing plant community composition, diversity, structure and function of ecosystems. our primary aim was to examine the effect of fire on plant community composition, diversity, plant species restoration and animal selectivity in semi-steppe rangeland in karsanak region, chaharmahal & bakhtiari province in years 2...

article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. 2 24 Summary 25 1. Many rangelands evolved under an interactive disturbance regime in which grazers 26 respond to the spatial pattern of fire and create a patchy, heterogeneous landscape. 27 Spatially heterogeneous fire and grazing create heterogeneity in vegetation structure at 28 ...

This study investigates patterns of plant diversity following wildfires in fire-prone shrublands of California, seeks to understand those patterns in terms of both local and landscape factors, and considers the implications for fire management. Ninety study sites were established following extensive wildfires in 1993, and 1000-m(2) plots were used to sample a variety of parameters. Data on comm...

Interest in the use of summer fires to restore southern Great Plains prairie ecosystems infested with woody plants and cactus is increasing, but information regarding effects on target and nontarget plant species is needed before this practice can be recommended. We review effects of summer and winter fires on mortality and growth of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), prickly pear (Opuntia p...

Fire is a selective agent shaping plant traits and community assembly in fire-prone ecosystems. However, in ecosystems with no fire history, it can be a cause of land degradation when it is suddenly introduced by humans, as plant species may not be able to respond to such novel disturbance. Unlike other Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTE) of the world, natural fires have not been frequent durin...