Citation:

Jager, H., J. Long, R. Malison, B. Murphy, A. Rust, L. Silva, R. Sollmann, Z. Steel, M. Bowen, J. Dunham, Joe Ebersole, AND R. Flitcroft. Resilience of Terrestrial and Aquatic Fauna to Historical and Future Wildfire Regimes in Western North American Forests. Ecology and Evolution. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Hoboken, NJ, 11(18):12259-12284, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8026

Impact/Purpose:

Wildfires, and their effects on human property, watersheds, and ecosystem values are a growing concern in the Western US. Wildfires and associated responses can negatively affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through direct habitat change, increased loadings of sediment and nutrients, and changes to vegetative and hydrologic processes. But wildfires can also help create conditions that provide long-term benefits to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem condition, by creating habitats that support desired functions for fish, wildlife, and water quality. In this review we characterize differing ways in which wildfires can influence forest conditions, water quality and habitat and discuss attributes that confer resilience to fish and wildlife populations in the face of wildfire and other change. This research is part of a larger effort intended to help managers identify best practices for protecting and restoring aquatic habitats and water quality in the face of extreme events.

Description:

Forests in western North America are following a trajectory toward larger, more severe, and more frequent wildfires. These changes in wildfire disturbance regimes are responses to climate trends and changes in fire suppression policies. In response, forests and associated faunal communities are shifting. In this review, we 1) describe historical and future projected shifts in dominant vegetation; 2) examine the resilience of faunal communities to effects of wildfire on terrestrial and aquatic habitat; and 3) evaluate factors limiting resilience. Individual species differ in their responses to wildfire. Some species benefit and others experience adverse effects, particularly in response to repeated, severe fires over large areas. Additionally, in aquatic settings, wildfire disturbance effects are governed by fire severity and often linked to debris and sediment loadings to stream habitat. We examine the ability of species with different life history characteristics to recover following fire. To illustrate how life history traits can confer resilience to wildfire, we propose a framework that incorporates spatial as well as demographic traits that align with disturbance characteristics. Terrestrial and aquatic habitats that serve as refugia are identified, as are the traits and behaviors that enable metapopulations to find refuge, persist through disturbance events, and later recolonize burned areas. Finally, we review management options and social adaptations designed to slow transitions in dominant vegetation and strategies that help fauna to track habitat through time as climate-related shifts occur.

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