Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive Models

Amid increasing deforestation, surface fires reaching the forest understory are one of the primary threats to Amazonian ecosystems. Despite extensive research on post-fire mortality in woody species, the literature on palm resilience to fire is scant. This study investigates post-fire mortality in f...

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Main Author: Marcus Vinicius de Athaydes Liesenfeld
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Fire
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/8/1/2
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author Marcus Vinicius de Athaydes Liesenfeld
author_facet Marcus Vinicius de Athaydes Liesenfeld
author_sort Marcus Vinicius de Athaydes Liesenfeld
collection DOAJ
description Amid increasing deforestation, surface fires reaching the forest understory are one of the primary threats to Amazonian ecosystems. Despite extensive research on post-fire mortality in woody species, the literature on palm resilience to fire is scant. This study investigates post-fire mortality in four understory palms, namely <i>Bactris maraja</i> Mart., <i>Chamaedorea pauciflora</i> Mart., <i>Geonoma deversa</i> (Poit.) Kunth, <i>Hyospathe elegans</i> Mart., and juvenile individuals of <i>Euterpe precatoria</i> Mart. (açaí palm). The objectives included (a) comparing post-fire responses; (b) developing mortality models based on severity variables; and (c) evaluating if diameter protects bud stems from heat flux. Conducted at the edge of an Ombrophylous Forest in Alto Juruá Acre, Brazil (7°45′ S, 72°22′ W), the experiment subjected 85 individuals to controlled burning in a 1 m<sup>2</sup> area near the palm stem, with temperature sampling using K thermocouples. The results showed varying mortality rates among species, with a larger palm stem diameter correlating to reduced mortality. Crown burning patterns significantly influenced mortality, especially for <i>Euterpe precatoria</i>. The species exhibited diverse regrowth capacities, with <i>B. maraja</i> showing the highest number and tallest basal resprouts. The variation in morphology among species appeared to be more important than the amount of heat flux applied to each individual involved in the experiment, as no significant difference was observed in the time–temperature history measured. This study underscores post-fire plant mortality as a critical indicator of fire severity, essential for understanding its ecological impacts.
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spelling doaj-art-c2d618d74ef342b1bcecce4d67fb160c2025-01-24T13:32:14ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552024-12-0181210.3390/fire8010002Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive ModelsMarcus Vinicius de Athaydes Liesenfeld0Multidisciplinary Center, Campus Floresta, Federal University of Acre, Cruzeiro do Sul 69980-000, BrazilAmid increasing deforestation, surface fires reaching the forest understory are one of the primary threats to Amazonian ecosystems. Despite extensive research on post-fire mortality in woody species, the literature on palm resilience to fire is scant. This study investigates post-fire mortality in four understory palms, namely <i>Bactris maraja</i> Mart., <i>Chamaedorea pauciflora</i> Mart., <i>Geonoma deversa</i> (Poit.) Kunth, <i>Hyospathe elegans</i> Mart., and juvenile individuals of <i>Euterpe precatoria</i> Mart. (açaí palm). The objectives included (a) comparing post-fire responses; (b) developing mortality models based on severity variables; and (c) evaluating if diameter protects bud stems from heat flux. Conducted at the edge of an Ombrophylous Forest in Alto Juruá Acre, Brazil (7°45′ S, 72°22′ W), the experiment subjected 85 individuals to controlled burning in a 1 m<sup>2</sup> area near the palm stem, with temperature sampling using K thermocouples. The results showed varying mortality rates among species, with a larger palm stem diameter correlating to reduced mortality. Crown burning patterns significantly influenced mortality, especially for <i>Euterpe precatoria</i>. The species exhibited diverse regrowth capacities, with <i>B. maraja</i> showing the highest number and tallest basal resprouts. The variation in morphology among species appeared to be more important than the amount of heat flux applied to each individual involved in the experiment, as no significant difference was observed in the time–temperature history measured. This study underscores post-fire plant mortality as a critical indicator of fire severity, essential for understanding its ecological impacts.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/8/1/2Amazon rainforestsurface firesAcreBrazilpost-fire fate
spellingShingle Marcus Vinicius de Athaydes Liesenfeld
Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive Models
Fire
Amazon rainforest
surface fires
Acre
Brazil
post-fire fate
title Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive Models
title_full Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive Models
title_fullStr Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive Models
title_full_unstemmed Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive Models
title_short Revealing the Impact of Understory Fires on Stem Survival in Palms (Arecaceae): An Experimental Approach Using Predictive Models
title_sort revealing the impact of understory fires on stem survival in palms arecaceae an experimental approach using predictive models
topic Amazon rainforest
surface fires
Acre
Brazil
post-fire fate
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/8/1/2
work_keys_str_mv AT marcusviniciusdeathaydesliesenfeld revealingtheimpactofunderstoryfiresonstemsurvivalinpalmsarecaceaeanexperimentalapproachusingpredictivemodels