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Corridors promote fire via connectivity and edge effects
Lars A Brudvig1, Stephanie A Wagner, Ellen I Damschen
1Michigan State University, Department of Plant Biology, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA. brudvig@msu.edu
Summary
Landscape corridors can increase fire temperature through connectivity and edge effects, impacting vegetation. This finding is crucial for managing fragmented landscapes and biodiversity, especially in pine ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Landscape Management
- Fire Ecology
Background:
- Landscape corridors connect fragmented habitats, but concerns exist about unintended consequences, such as promoting disturbances like fire.
- Previous research has primarily focused on the positive effects of corridors, with less attention paid to their potential role in disturbance propagation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate how landscape corridors influence fire behavior, specifically fire temperature and spread.
- To test mechanisms by which corridors might affect fire, including connectivity and edge effects.
Main Methods:
- Data were collected during prescribed fires within a large-scale, replicated corridor experiment at the Savannah River Site.
- Mechanisms tested included direct connectivity (bellows effect) and indirect edge effects on fuel input and fire temperature.
Main Results:
- Corridors significantly altered fire temperature via connectivity and edge effects, independent of fuel levels.
- Edges increased leaf litter input from surrounding pine plantations, elevating fire temperatures.
- No evidence was found for corridors or edges impacting the probability of fire spread.
Conclusions:
- Corridors can modify landscape-scale fire intensity, a previously unrecognized effect.
- These impacts on fire temperature can influence vegetation composition, favoring certain grass species.
- Corridor design and fire management strategies should consider these effects on fuels and disturbance regimes for biodiversity conservation.
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