Fire Ecology Disturbance Defn: Force that shapes natural communities by altering resource allocation and changing structure of environment Describing a Disturbance Natural vs. anthropogenic Scale Intensity Return time Duration Fire Prevalent in some communities Conifer forests Chaparral Grasslands Affects species composition Relationship between fire and plant communities Fire in the Wild Mediterranean Climates Hot dry summers Cool wet winters Mild temperatures Santa Anna winds Changes in the Fire Cycle Fire suppression Fire as an enemy Changes in the Fire Cycle Controlled burns Accidental ignition Long-term alterations Sediment analysis Fire Spread Flying embers Leaves Ash Animals Heat The Role of Fire Landscape heterogeneity Fields Forests Increase diversity Required for reproduction Prevent catastrophic fires Catastrophic Fires Intense Fast return time Massive casualty Wildlife Trees Destroy seeds Sterilize soil High Intensity Low Intensity Fire Recovery Succession: Changes in species composition over time Primary succession Secondary succession Models of Succession Stable endpoint climax Chaparral Succession Burns Survivors Crown sprouts Seed banks Bulbs Colonizers Senescence Chamise - Adenostoma Crown Sprout California Lilac Ceanothus Seed bank Crown sprout Wildflowers Seed banks Bulbs Immigration Grasses Immigration Animals return Grazers Post-Fire Human Impacts Slope stabilization Hydroseed Replants Rebuilding Hydroseed Forest Plantations Living with Fire Should we live in chaparral? How can we protect lives? How can fire be re- introduced?