FEC202_Lecture_1_TS.pptx

Fire Ecology FEC202 Dr Terence Suinyuy [email protected] Office: Bldg 12, Rm 021  Fire Ecology 202 Outcome Understand concepts in ecology History of fire Concept of fire ecology  Background definitions and concepts What is Ecology? What is it t...

Fire Ecology FEC202 Dr Terence Suinyuy [email protected] Office: Bldg 12, Rm 021  Fire Ecology 202 Outcome Understand concepts in ecology History of fire Concept of fire ecology  Background definitions and concepts What is Ecology? What is it that make up the environment? Ecology: the study of interactions among organism or group of organisms with their environment Environment: Biotic & abiotic components Biotic: Living organisms Abiotic: Non-living physical and chemical components of the environment  Ecology is the study of interactions between Abiotic (Non-living) physical and chemical components of the environment: Light Water Wind Soil nutrients Heat (temperature) Solar radiation Atmosphere, etc. AND Biotic components or living organisms) : Animals Plants Microorganisms in soil, water, atmosphere, etc  Background definitions & concepts How are living things Biosphere organized? Ecosystem – From the smallest (organismal level) Community to the largest unit (biosphere) Population Organism  Background definitions & concepts Organism: An individual species that exist and can reproduce.  Background definitions & concepts Population: Group of individuals of the same species living in the same place at the same time.  Background definitions & concepts Community: Several populations of different species living in the same place and interacting with each other.  Background definitions & concepts Ecosystem: Community of different species interacting with one another and the non-living environment. – Examples: forest, grassland, desert Concerned with both the biotic and abiotic components, and how matter and energy flow through the system  Background definitions & concepts Biosphere: This is all the spheres of earth where life exist. It encompasses all the ecosystems in air land and water.  What is Fire Ecology? Brief history of fire We owe the existence of present world to fire Fire-adapted ecosystems accounts for ~40 % of the land surface  What is Fire Ecology? Brief history of fire Evidence of fire scars tree rings and charcoal in sedimentary rocks suggest that fire was common throughout geologic history The origin of fire dates back 420 millions years ago When charred remains of rhyniophytoid leafless plants in the Silurian period were found in an English siltstone Charcoal abundance in the fossil record suggest that there frequent and intense fires in the landscape Although fire has been present for the past 420 million years, there have been variations in the fire activity  What is Fire Ecology? Brief history of fire Historically the origin of fire is linked to origin of plants and occurrence of lightening. Before origin of plants, there was no fuel and oxygen to support fire (Pausas and Keeley, 2009) Plants – source of oxygen and fuel The past 500 myrs have witnessed fluctuations of atmospheric O2 Associated with extend and intensity of fire Geological timescale of fire Source: adapted from Pausas and Keeley, 2009; Zalzal, 2018  Fire Ecology – A scientific discipline concerned with the natural processes involving fire in an ecosystem, the effects of fire on the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem and the role of fire as an ecosystem driver. [ By “driver” we mean an action that enables a process to occur]  Fire is a natural phenomenon that plays a major role in shaping these environments – maintaining biodiversity and habitat structure – determining soil nutrient fluxes (cycling)  The ecological role of fire ranges from a process that strongly drives ecosystem structure and function (fire-dependent ecosystems) to having no evolutionary significance (fire-independent ecosystems). Schlisky et al. 2007  Fire-dependent (or fire-adapted) ecosystems: Ecosystems that have evolved with fire and where fire is essential to habitat vitality and renewal Have many plant species that need fire to germinate, establish or reproduce Suppressing fire eliminates these plant species and the animals that depend on them About 70% of the South African landscape includes fire- adapted ecosystems e.g. Fynbos, savanna, grasslands Each of these vegetation is associated to a particular climate