Fire in Australian savannas: From leaf to landscape

Jason Beringer, Lindsay B. Hutley, David Abramson, Stefan K. Arndt, Peter Briggs, Mila Bristow, Josep G. Canadell, Lucas A. Cernusak, Derek Eamus, Andrew C. Edwards, Bradley J. Evans, Benedikt Fest, Klaus Goergen, Samantha P. Grover, Jorg Hacker, Vanessa Haverd, Kasturi Kanniah, Stephen J. Livesley, Amanda Lynch, Stefan MaierCaitlin Moore, Michael Raupach, Jeremy Russell-Smith, Simon Scheiter, Nigel J. Tapper, Petteri Uotila

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    93 Citations (Scopus)
    35 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Savanna ecosystems comprise 22% of the global terrestrial surface and 25% of Australia (almost 1.9 million km2) and provide significant ecosystem services through carbon and water cycles and the maintenance of biodiversity. The current structure, composition and distribution of Australian savannas have coevolved with fire, yet remain driven by the dynamic constraints of their bioclimatic niche. Fire in Australian savannas influences both the biophysical and biogeochemical processes at multiple scales from leaf to landscape. Here, we present the latest emission estimates from Australian savanna biomass burning and their contribution to global greenhouse gas budgets. We then review our understanding of the impacts of fire on ecosystem function and local surface water and heat balances, which in turn influence regional climate. We show how savanna fires are coupled to the global climate through the carbon cycle and fire regimes. We present new research that climate change is likely to alter the structure and function of savannas through shifts in moisture availability and increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, in turn altering fire regimes with further feedbacks to climate. We explore opportunities to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions from savanna ecosystems through changes in savanna fire management.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)62-81
    Number of pages20
    JournalGlobal Change Biology
    Volume21
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2015

    Bibliographical note

    © 2014 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
    This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

    Keywords

    • Biomass burning
    • Climate feedbacks
    • Greenhouse gas exchange
    • Net ecosystem carbon balance
    • Savanna

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