Recurrent wildfires alter forest structure and community composition of terra firme Amazonian forests

Bibliographic Data

ID15550673
AuthorsCássio Alves Pereira (0009-0005-4358-7272, Universidade Federal do Pará, corresponding author), Jos Barlow (0000-0003-4992-2594, Universidade Federal do Pará), Marcelo Tabarelli (0000-0001-7573-7216, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco), André L Giles (0000-0002-1973-400X, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina), Amanda Estefânia De Melo Ferreira (0000-0002-2840-3069, Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará), Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira (0000-0003-1233-318X, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi)
Year2024
Volume19
Issue11
Pages114051-114051
Publication date2024-09-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironmental Research Letters (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326
PublisherIOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1088/1748-9326/ad77e6
OpenAlexW4402289473
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited50

Wildfires associated with land-use and climate change have considered a key driver to the Amazon forest collapse. However, achieving a detailed understanding of how human-related disturbances impact forest successional trajectories needs comprehensive information spanning forest strata. Here, we investigate the impact of recurrent wildfires on forest structure, species diversity, and composition, making a comprehensive assessment of the regenerating, understory, and canopy tree communities in a sustainable use reserve in the eastern Amazon. Plant communities were described across 16 forest stands (old-growth, burned once and twice) sampling a total of 3620 individuals and 326 tree and palm species. Wildfires affected all attributes of forest structure. Aboveground biomass decreased by 44% in forest burned once, and 71% in twice-burned forest stands. Forest canopy was the most affected strata after the second fire, with a 44%-decrease compared to unburned forest. The same pattern emerged for basal area, which decreased by an average of 27.5% after the first fire and 53.8% following the second fire event. Overall, plant communities experienced a 50%-loss of species richness after two fires, including both dominant and rare species. Plant communities also became more dissimilar as fire events accumulated, with 58%–61% increase in species dissimilarity following two fires events. As wildfires reoccured, the old-growth forests of our focal landscape were converted into a mosaic of regenerating forest stands dominated by local short-lived pioneers (i.e. low-biomass early-regenerating forest stands) and a few tree species less sensitive to fire. Our findings highlight the urgent need to secure a resilient future for Amazonian forests with actions needed to support local livelihoods whilst reducing the prevalence of ignitions sources and allowing forest recovery

Agroforestry · Amazon rainforest · Biology · Geography · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Environmental Science · Fire effects on ecosystems · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Ecology · Forestry

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