The influence of changing fire regimes on specialized plant-animal interactions

Ecological effects of changing fire regimes are well documented for plant and animal populations, but less is known about how fire influences, and is influenced by, specialized plant-animal interactions. In this review, we identified mutualistic (pollination, seed dispersal and food provision), commensal (habitat provision) and antagonistic (seed predation, herbivory and parasitism) plant-animal interactions from fire-prone ecosystems. We focused on specialized interactions where a single genus depended on one to two genera in a single family of plant or animal. We categorized the plant partner's post-fire reproductive mode to assess the likely outcome of changing fire regimes on ecological functions provided by these interactions. Traits underlying specialization in fire-prone ecosystems for plants were: post-fire reproductive mode, time to maturity, morphology and phenology; and, for animals: dispersal, specialized organs, nesting and egg deposition substrates, plant consumption behaviours and pollinator behaviours. Finally, we identified a number of cases where stabilizing feedbacks maintained plant-animal interactions under natural fire regimes. Potential reinforcing feedbacks were also identified, but were more likely to happen abruptly and result in collapse of the plant-animal partnership, or partner switching. Our synthesis reveals how fire regime changes impact fire-dependent specialist plant-animal interactions and potentially drive eco-evolutionary dynamics in fire-prone ecosystems globally.This article is part of the theme issue 'Novel fire regimes under climate changes and human influences: impacts, ecosystem responses and feedbacks'.