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Viewing report
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Hurricane and fire effects in savanna-forest landscapes. Edition No. 1
VDM Publishing House, March 2009, Pages: 124
Sequential large-scale disturbances may produce
interacting effects that differ from those predicted
for each disturbance in isolation. These non-additive
effects can strongly influence the composition and
structure of plant communities. Hurricanes and
natural lightning-season fires are large-scale,
frequent disturbances in savanna-forest landscapes of
the southeastern US. Passmore develops a predictive
conceptual model for interacting disturbances. She
predicts that hurricane-fire interactions may
influence ecotones between savannas and forests by
changing species composition and structure. Based on
predictions, Passmore implemented an experimental
study in savanna-forest ecotone to test hypotheses of
interactive effects. She hypothesized that effects of
lightning-season fires differ when fires occur alone
compared to when fires are preceded by hurricanes.
Disturbance interactions reduced stem density and
species richness of woody plants in the field study.
Thus, hurricane-fire interactions influence
vegetation structure in savanna-forest ecotones.
Furthermore, over longer time scales interactions may
result in landscape-level changes in southeastern
savanna-forest ecosystems.
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