Citation

Fill JM, Crandall RM. Trends Ecol. Evol. (Amst.) 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.tree.2020.06.013

PMID

32703704

Abstract

Rapid changes in fire regimes worldwide have prompted interest in predicting plant population persistence. The seasonal timing of fire interacts with the environment over time to affect plants during different life history stages, altering demographic vital rates such as survival, growth, and recruitment. The fundamental premise of a review article by Miller et al. is that altered fire seasonality, defined as fires occurring 'outside the fire season to which species are adapted', generates a mismatch between fire-adapted traits in plant species and their optimal fire season, negatively affecting population dynamics. A strength of this review is that it promotes a mechanistic framework for considering fire effects at the population level. While we appreciate this contribution, we are concerned that they analyzed only a subset of results from the studies they included, biasing their inferences. Moreover, fire intensity is inherently confounded with seasonality in fire regimes to which plants are adapted. This framework should also incorporate regional variation in the relationships between plant demographic responses to fire regimes and plant phenological states.

Language: en

Keywords

demographic trade-offs; fire regime; plant demography; population persistence; traits