A 450‐Million‐Year History of Fire

Belcher, Claire M.; Collinson, Margaret E.; Scott, Andrew C.

doi:10.1002/9781118529539.ch12

Cited by 39 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 151 publications

(246 reference statements)

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“…The time of origin of conifers has been estimated at 300–350 Ma in the Carboniferous (Clarke, Warnock & Donoghue ; Crisp & Cook ; Magallon, Hilu & Quandt ) when fire was widespread (Belcher et al . ; Belcher, Collinson & Scott ), supported by a peak in charcoal abundance and record high atmospheric oxygen levels (25–30%, compared with the present 21%, Berner ) that would greatly promote combustibility. In fact, at 25% oxygen, plant matter with 72% moisture will burn and at 30% oxygen, even vegetation covered in free water will burn (Watson & Lovelock ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Abundance of charcoal in deposits from the Silurian through to the end of the Permian indicates that the frequency of Paleozoic fire was essentially a function of atmospheric oxygen concentrations (Scott & Glasspool ; Glasspool & Scott ). With atmospheric oxygen levels rising to 30% in the late Permian, fire frequency progressively increased in many ecosystems (Belcher, Collinson & Scott ). Thus, fire became widespread during the Lower Mississippian to Pennsylvanian Epochs, 350–300 Ma (Falcon‐Lang ; Scott ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A 350‐million‐year legacy of fire adaptation among conifers

Belcher

Lamont

et al. 2015

Journal of Ecology

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Summary Current phylogenetic evidence shows that fire began shaping the evolution of land plants 125 Ma, although the fossil charcoal record indicates that fire has a much longer history (>350 Ma). Serotiny (on‐plant seed storage) is generally accepted as an adaptation to fire among woody plants. We developed a conceptual model of the requirements for the evolution of serotiny, and propose that serotiny is only expressed in the presence of a woody rachis as supporting structure, compact scales covering seeds as protective structure, seed wing as dispersal structure, and crown fire as the agent of selection and mechanism for seed release. This model is strongly supported by empirical data for modern ecosystems. We reconstructed the evolutionary history of intrinsic structural states required for the expression of serotiny in conifers, and show that these were diagnostic for early (‘transitional’) conifers from 332 Ma (late‐Carboniferous). We assessed the likely flammable characteristics of early conifers and found that scale‐leaved conifers burn rapidly and with high intensity, supporting the idea that crown fire regimes may have dominated early conifer ecosystems. Synthesis. Coupled with strong evidence for frequent fire throughout the Permian‐Carboniferous and fossil evidence for other fire‐related traits, we conclude that many early conifers were serotinous in response to intense crown fires, indicating that fire may have had a major impact on the evolution of plant traits as far back as 350 Ma.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 350‐million‐year legacy of fire adaptation among conifers

Belcher

Lamont

et al. 2015

Journal of Ecology

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“…The evidence of fire on the Earth goes back over 400 Myr [1,2] and has been a significant part of the Earth system for 350 Myr [3]. The occurrence of fire from the study of fossil charcoal has allowed our understanding of the role fire plays on the Earth to develop rapidly over the past 30 years [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emphasis of many of these reports is that fires are 'bad' and should be extinguished. Recent research has emphasized the role of fire not only on the modern world, but also in deep time [2,16,20]. There is an increasing realization that fire is a major Earth system process [4] affecting not only the atmosphere, but also the biosphere in profound ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interaction of fire and mankind: Introduction

Scott

Chaloner

Belcher

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 24 to a discussion meeting issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'. Fire has been an important part of the Earth system for over 350 Myr. Humans evolved in this fiery world and are the only animals to have used and controlled fire. The interaction of mankind with fire is a complex one, with both positive and negative aspects. Humans have long used fire for heating, cooking, landscape management and agriculture, as well as for pyrotechnologies and in industrial processes over more recent centuries. Many landscapes need fire but population expansion into wildland areas creates a tension between different interest groups. Extinguishing wildfires may not always be the correct solution. A combination of factors, including the problem of invasive plants, landscape change, climate change, population growth, human health, economic, social and cultural attitudes that may be transnational make a reevaluation of fire and mankind necessary. The Royal Society meeting on Fire and mankind was held to address these issues and the results of these deliberations are published in this volume.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.We are uniquely fire creatures on a uniquely fire planet.-S. J. Pyne

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“…The influence of wildfires in the Earth system gained importance after the first plants occupied continental environments (during the OrdovicianSilurian), consuming O 2 , raising CO and CO 2 , and increasing atmospheric temperature, thus affecting vegetation and changing the climate (Belcher et al, 2013;Lenton, 2013;Rimmer et al, 2015;Scott et al, 2016). Wildfire frequency is currently increasing and the interrelationships between wildfire and mankind are the subject of expanding scientific research (Scott et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of widespread wildfires in a coal seam from the middle Permian of the North China Basin

et al. 2017

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The North China Basin is the largest coal-bearing basin in China, and has an areal extent of 800,000 km 2 . We analyzed 138 coal samples and in situ pillar coal samples of the middle Permian from this basin by macropetrography, microscope, scanning electron microscope, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer in order to study wildfires. High contents of inertinite (charcoal) and natural coke particles observed in coal samples indicate that vegetation in precursor mires and peats of the middle Permian coal from north China was exposed to far-ranging wildfires. In addition, high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected in the coal samples. These aromatic compounds were formed under high temperatures and provide further evidence of wildfire. These wildfires would have discharged significant CO and CO 2 gases into the atmosphere and affected the paleoclimate and paleoecosystem. LITHOSPHERE

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A 450‐Million‐Year History of Fire

Cited by 39 publications

References 151 publications

A 350‐million‐year legacy of fire adaptation among conifers

A 350‐million‐year legacy of fire adaptation among conifers

The interaction of fire and mankind: Introduction

Evidence of widespread wildfires in a coal seam from the middle Permian of the North China Basin

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