Topic: Novel fire regimes under climate changes and human influences: impacts, ecosystem responses and feedbacks
Special issue in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences
Guest editors:
Zehao Shen, Professor, Institute of Ecology, Peking University, China (shzh@urban.pku.edu.cn)
Zhihua Liu, SKL, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China (liuzh@iae.ac.cn)
Brendan M. Rogers, Associate scientist, Woodwell Climate Research Center, U.S.A. (brogers@woodwellclimate.org)
Kate Giljohann, CSIRO, Australia (Kate.Giljohann@csiro.au)
Juli G. Pausas, Research professor, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), Spain
Rational: Wildfires are prominent driving forces of the evolution and functioning of many ecosystems worldwide. Anthropogenic regulations in climate, land cover, and ignitions, are modifying fire regimes at the global scale. These changes alter the structure and composition of fire-prone and historically fire-free ecosystems, can impact biodiversity, and feed back to climate change through greenhouse gases emissions and altered land surface albedo. Meanwhile, climate change studies have generally projected scenarios with more variable climates with extreme weather events corresponding to a future with a higher risk of wildfires. Fire ecology and pyrogeographical studies in the last decades have substantially improved our understanding of fire-ecosystem interactions, especially in fire-prone ecosystems such as tropical savanna and Mediterranean shrublands. However, comparisons of fire regimes and ecosystem adaptation across biomes and climate types, as well as explorations of fire regime shifts and ecosystem feedbacks at the global scale, are lacking but increasingly important. This special issue aims to address these gaps and therefore contribute to the science base for better prediction and evolving policy and management practice for biodiversity conservation, fire management and carbon protection in a more flammable biosphere.
Framework: This thematic issue focuses on the interactions between climate, fire regimes, and ecological and evolutionary feedbacks at any scale and level of biological organization (from individual to the globe). The scope covers all of the typical fire-prone ecosystems such as tropic and subtropic savanna, Mediterranean scrubs, boreal forests, and subtropic and temperate seasonal dry forests. Attention is also encouraged to pay to the increasing fire risk in historically fire-free or fire-limited systems, such as the humid tropics or arctic tundra. Comparative and integrative studies within and across biomes and fire regimes are encouraged. All available scientific approaches are welcome, including experimental, dendrochronological, paleological, social science, remote sensing, modeling and field investigations.
Format: review articles, research articles, opinion pieces.
Details: Information for authors, Phil Trans Roy Soc B: Biology
Publication model: traditional (free) or open access (charges)
Schedule:
June 30th, 2023: Abstract submission: Please send Title, Author list (name, institution, address), and Abstract to: Zehao Shen (shzh@urban.pku.edu.cn)
Some late abstract may also be considered
January 31st, 2024: Deadline for manuscript submission
During 2024: Publication of the articles
Contact: Zehao Shen (shzh@urban.pku.edu.cn)