Vegetation recovery after fire in mountain grasslands of Argentina

Loydi, Alejandro; Funk, Flavia Alejandra; García, A N Jesús

doi:10.1007/s11629-019-5669-3

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Accordingly, we found that sites with longer time since fire presented lower plant species richness for all groups, as well as lower habitat heterogeneity (i.e., high dominance of one or few plant life forms), and overall taller vegetation (which is an indication of increased biomass, although we did not measure this variable directly). These findings corroborate other studies from South American grasslands, providing further evidence that grasslands from this region are a discrete ecological unit that responds similarly to fire disturbance: by reducing the dominance of a few species and life forms that outcompete other taxa in the absence of disturbance 14,15,17 . In grasslands from Argentina, burned sites presented fast recover of plant cover and species richness 15 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…These findings corroborate other studies from South American grasslands, providing further evidence that grasslands from this region are a discrete ecological unit that responds similarly to fire disturbance: by reducing the dominance of a few species and life forms that outcompete other taxa in the absence of disturbance 14,15,17 . In grasslands from Argentina, burned sites presented fast recover of plant cover and species richness 15 . In Uruguayan grasslands, fire removed above-ground biomass of the dominant species (Saccharum angustifolium), causing a release of resources, such as space and light, consequently promoting habitat heterogeneity 17 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Finally, fire may also have direct negative effects on the reproductive success of grassland birds if it takes place during the breeding period, leading to nest losses 72 or increasing rates of nest predation and brood parasitism 73 , 74 . Notwithstanding, most of the continuous well-preserved grassland areas in Southern South America are traditionally managed with fire disturbance as part of the cattle raising system 2 , 15 , 17 , 75 . Therefore, basic knowledge on how multiple taxonomic groups respond to management is fundamental.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of fire disturbance on habitat structure and bird communities in South Brazilian Highland Grasslands

Beal-Neves

Chiarani

Ferreira

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Grassland ecosystems are evolutionarily linked to disturbances such as grazing and fire. These disturbances define grassland plant communities and habitat heterogeneity, which influence animal communities. We evaluated the influence of fire disturbance on plant and bird communities and on habitat structure by sampling grassland fragments with different time elapsed since the last fire event. Habitat structure was sampled using plant life forms and abiotic variables and birds were sampled through point counts. We recorded 862 bird individuals from 70 species. Intermediately-burnt sites harbor higher habitat heterogeneity and plant species richness in comparison with recently or long-burnt sites. Bird abundance and taxonomic diversity decreased linearly as time since fire increased. Finally, time since fire influenced the relative distribution of plant life forms and bird food guilds. Our results indicate that fire management should be included in the framework for conservation and sustainable use of grasslands, because it promotes habitat heterogeneity and diversity. To maintain habitat heterogeneity and the related habitat-specific bird species and functional groups, conservation efforts should maintain grassland patches under different management intensities and frequencies on a landscape level. However, studies focused on determining the periodicity with which fire management should be used are still lacking.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of fire disturbance on habitat structure and bird communities in South Brazilian Highland Grasslands

Beal-Neves

Chiarani

Ferreira

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Tall Andean grasslands are formed on the basis of the dominance of grass species, which are characterised by their erect growth and larger size among the species of the grassland plant community (Catorci et al, 2014), with abundant macollage, cane and inflorescence . These conditions give it a fibrous phytomassproducing quality (Condori, 2019), which is little exploited by Andean livestock and thus prone to burning (Loydi et al, 2020). However, grasses include a diversity of species (Hu & Nacun, 2018), especially those of the genus Calamagrostis and Festucas that vary in size and primary production, from a few centimetres in height to 1.20 metres (Navarro, 2018;Yaranga, 2019;Cabrera & Duivenvoorden, 2020).…”

Section: Net Aerial Primary Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Andean Grassland Species: Net Aerial Primary Productivity, Density, Ecomorphological Indices, and Soil Characteristics

Yaranga¹,

Vuure²,

Fuentes³

et al. 2021

J. Ecol. Eng.

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The tall grass vegetation in the Andean grassland ecosystems covers the largest area compared to other types of vegetation such as Puna grass, wetland and others. The grasslands are frequently set on fire by livestock farmer, seriously affecting the ecosystem. One way to mitigate this problem is to use these species as a source of plant fibre, which can be economically useful to the interests of the livestock family without affecting the ecosystem. To advance in this approach, it is necessary to know the functional characteristics of the plants; therefore, we evaluated the aerial primary productivity, plant density per m 2 , basal cover, aerial cover and leaf height, whose data were analysed using the generalised linear mixed model and the correlation between these variables with the physical-chemical characteristics of the soil, by means of principal component analysis and canonical correlation, in seven species of grassland and seven control plots, located between 3860 and 4333 metres above sea level. The results showed significant differences for p=0.001 between species, and between plots, and a canonical correlation grouped in two clusters that showed the differentiated importance of soil elements with the phytomass produced

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“…This schedule is unlikely to have allowed full recovery time for most ecosystems, meaning that resilience—based on ability to return to its pre‐disturbance state—is also likely difficult to assess. The exception may be grasslands, which typically show quick recovery from disturbance (Loydi et al 2020), because resident species tend to have short generation times (Shackelford et al 2016). We found grasslands were measured a maximum of 5 years following disturbance, but commonly between 1 and 2 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for measuring the effects of disturbance in restoration projects

Cowan

Standish

Miller³

et al. 2021

Restoration Ecology

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Ecological resilience is widely acknowledged as a vital attribute of successful ecosystem restoration, with potential for restoration practice to contribute to this goal. Hence, defining common metrics of resilience to naturally occurring disturbances is essential for restoration planning, efforts, and monitoring. Here, we reviewed how plant community ecologists have measured resilience of restoration projects to disturbances and propose a framework to guide measurement of restoration projects to disturbance. We found 22 studies that investigated the impact of disturbances on restoration projects, from three continents and for three disturbance types. Over half of the studies were from Australia, with the dataset biased toward fire responses of restored, or partially restored, forest ecosystems. Native plant species richness, cover, and density were common response variables. Studies varied in restoration context, design, response variables, and statistical approaches, limiting generalizations. Nonetheless we have identified several response variables that offer potential as lagging indicators (e.g. species richness) and leading indicators (e.g. recruitment) of resilience in diverse vegetation types exposed to a variety of disturbance regimes. We suggest a third set of variables, proxy measures of resilience (e.g. functional redundancy), to complement lagging and leading indicators. We conclude with a framework to guide decisions about when to use each of the three types of measures to assess resilience of restoration projects to disturbance, providing some clarity to decision-making despite the uncertainty of changing disturbance regimes. Lastly, we invite researchers to understand the impact of disturbance on the resilience of restoration projects, rather than assume resilience.

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Vegetation recovery after fire in mountain grasslands of Argentina

Cited by 11 publications

References 43 publications

The role of fire disturbance on habitat structure and bird communities in South Brazilian Highland Grasslands

The role of fire disturbance on habitat structure and bird communities in South Brazilian Highland Grasslands

Andean Grassland Species: Net Aerial Primary Productivity, Density, Ecomorphological Indices, and Soil Characteristics

A framework for measuring the effects of disturbance in restoration projects

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