The magnet effect of fire on herbivores affects plant community structure in a forested system

Westlake, Shannon M.; Mason, David S.; Lázaro-Lobo, Adrián; Burr, Paul C.; McCollum, Johannah R.; Chance, Don M.; Lashley, Marcus A.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117794

Cited by 13 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Provide students with a strong practical background in wildlife management and research techniques and to prepare them to become wildlife professionals. by strengthening student-student relationships and can even provide a tangible outcome to those students interested in following through with publication of their work (e.g., Westlake et al, 2020).…”

Section: Course Wildlife Habitat Management Wildlife Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A variety of approaches to information delivery could be adopted but in general, we suggest 1‐ to 3‐hr long field activities 2–3 times per day with 15 min—1‐hr long intermissions. Providing opportunities to work in groups, especially in research related projects, can be particularly effective to enhance experiential learning by strengthening student–student relationships and can even provide a tangible outcome to those students interested in following through with publication of their work (e.g., Westlake et al., 2020). This approach would allow adequate time to become immersed in the experience but still allow adequate time for needed breaks and reflection.…”

Section: Intensive Laboratory Experience Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Intensive Laboratory experiences to safely retain experiential learning in the transition to online learning

Lashley

McCleery

2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Field-based course work has been a foundational part of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) curricula because of the undisputed value of learning by doing. We realize that it is difficult to appreciate the evolutionary significance of the enlarged anal scent gland in skunks (Mephitidae) without having smelled it or the effectiveness of epizoochory as a dispersal strategy until removing beggar's lice (Desmodium sp.) from one's pant leg. It is important for students to experience the processes and concepts they are learning about nature in nature. Experiential learning provides students ample time and space to engage in this process of learning through the senses. This hands-on approach allows students to contextualize information by experiencing nature and to build knowledge by assimilating new experiences through self-reflection (Kolb &

show abstract

Section: Course Wildlife Habitat Management Wildlife Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Intensive Laboratory Experience Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Intensive Laboratory experiences to safely retain experiential learning in the transition to online learning

Lashley

McCleery

2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Still, animals that could physically penetrate or escape burned areas may choose not to for behavioral reasons (Cohen et al 2019). White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, Zimmermann 1780) avoid larger patches due to fear of predation in low cover but intensively select recently burned areas at smaller spatial scales even when extremely small (e.g., <0.25 ha; Lashley et al 2015a, Westlake et al 2020. Whether driven by movement ability or behavior, differences among animals may lead to differing responses to fires of varying scale.…”

Section: Spatial-scale-dependent Dispersal Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial scale in prescribed fire regimes: an understudied aspect in conservation with examples from the southeastern United States

Mason

Lashley

2021

fire ecol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The idea that not all fire regimes are created equal is a central theme in fire research and conservation. Fire frequency (i.e., temporal scale) is likely the most studied fire regime attribute as it relates to conservation of fire-adapted ecosystems. Generally, research converges on fire frequency as the primary filter in plant community assembly and structure, which is often critical to conservation goals. Thus, conservation success is commonly linked to fire frequency in fire regimes.The spatial scale of fire may also be vital to conservation outcomes, but this attribute is underrepresented in the primary literature. In our global, contemporary literature search, we found 37 published syntheses concerning the effects of prescribed fire in conservation over the last decade. In those syntheses, only 16% included studies that reported data-based inferences related to the spatial scale of the fire, whereas 73% included discussion of empirical studies on the temporal scale. Only one of the syntheses discussed studies that explicitly tested the effects of spatial extent, and none of those studies were experiments manipulating spatial scale. Further, understanding spatial-scale-dependent patterns may be relevant because two databases of fire-occurrence data from the United States indicated that spatial scale among lightning-ignited and prescribed fires may have been mismatched over the past few decades.Based on a rich ecological literature base that demonstrates pervasive scale-dependent effects in ecology, spatial-scale-dependent relationships among prescribed fire regimes and conservation outcomes are likely. Using examples from the southeastern United States, we explored the potential for scale-dependent ecological effects of fire. In particular, we highlighted the potential for spatial scale to (a) influence wildlife populations by manipulating the dispersion of habitat components, and (b) modulate plant community assembly and structure by affecting seed dispersal mechanics and spatial patterns in herbivory. Because spatial-scale-dependent outcomes are understudied but likely occurring, we encourage researchers to address the ecological effects of spatial scale in prescribed-fire regimes using comparative and manipulative approaches.

show abstract

“…Limited scope, scale, and tree size/life stage. Royo et al, 2010;Quentin et al, 2012;Sparks et al, 2018;Cannon et al, 2014;Westlake et al, 2020 Holistic syntheses…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, it is often the spatial dynamics of disturbances and their interactions that simulation models are designed to investigate, precisely because empirical measurement of such processes are difficult to quantify explicitly in space. Nonetheless, experimental studies can inform even spatial processes, such as the spatial concentration of ungulate herbivory associated with burned locations, and the cascading effects on plant species diversity across space (Westlake et al, 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and Modeling Forest Disturbance Interactions at the Landscape Level

Sturtevant

Fortin

2021

Front. Ecol. Evol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic, affect the configuration, composition, and function of forested ecosystems. Complex system behaviors emerge from the interactions between disturbance regimes, the vegetation response to those disturbances, and their interplay with multiple drivers (climate, topography, land use, etc.) across spatial and temporal scales. Here, we summarize conceptual advances and empirical approaches to disturbance interaction investigation, and used those insights to evaluate and categorize 146 landscape modeling studies emerging from a systematic review of the literature published since 2010. Recent conceptual advances include formal disaggregation of disturbances into their constituent components, embedding disturbance processes into system dynamics, and clarifying terminology for interaction factors, types, and ecosystem responses. Empirical studies investigating disturbance interactions now span a wide range of approaches, including (most recently) advanced statistical methods applied to an expanding set of spatial and temporal datasets. Concurrent development in spatially-explicit landscape models, informed by these empirical insights, integrate the interactions among natural and anthropogenic disturbances by coupling these processes to account for disturbance stochasticity, disturbance within and across scales, and non-linear landscape responses to climate change. Still, trade-offs between model elegance and complexity remain. We developed an index for the degree of process integration (i.e., balance of static vs. dynamic components) within a given disturbance agent and applied it to the studies from our systematic review. Contemporary model applications in this line of research have applied a wide range process integration, depending on the specific question, but also limited in part by data and knowledge. Non-linear “threshold” behavior and cross-scaled interactions remain a frontier in temperate, boreal, and alpine regions of North America and Europe, while even simplistic studies are lacking from other regions of the globe (e.g., subtropical and tropical biomes). Understanding and planning for uncertainty in system behavior—including disturbance interactions—is paramount at a time of accelerated anthropogenic change. While progress in landscape modeling studies in this area is evident, work remains to increase model transparency and confidence, especially for understudied regions and processes. Moving forward, a multi-dimensional approach is recommended to address the uncertainties of complex human-ecological dynamics.

show abstract

The magnet effect of fire on herbivores affects plant community structure in a forested system

Cited by 13 publications

References 54 publications

Intensive Laboratory experiences to safely retain experiential learning in the transition to online learning

Intensive Laboratory experiences to safely retain experiential learning in the transition to online learning

Spatial scale in prescribed fire regimes: an understudied aspect in conservation with examples from the southeastern United States

Understanding and Modeling Forest Disturbance Interactions at the Landscape Level

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About