“Fire has been a neglected process in Earth’s history and
now it is time to reassess its role in shaping our world.” Andrew C. Scott
Fires are usually seen as disasters that destroy ecosystems,
but they are actually ecological
processes that influence structure and function in ecosystems,
particularly among plant communities. Scientists have shown that fire may have
been the catalyst for the evolution
and expansion of flowering plants (angiosperms) during the Cretaceous
period. Similarly, the expansion of C4 grasses during the Miocene was probably
facilitated by fire in extensive seasonally dry areas. These studies have
contributed to an increasing recognition that fire has been an ancient process on Earth.
Fynbos in the south-western Cape depends on regular fires in
seven to thirty year cycles to ensure that old plant communities make way for
new growth. Grasslands also need fire to prevent encroachment by shrubs and
trees. Fire is commonly used in Africa for managing different ecosystem types
(albeit sometimes to the detriment of the ecosystem as in the case of forests
being cleared for agriculture). As Earth’s climate is rapidly changing, we
urgently need a better understanding of the way in which fire shapes the landscape
in order to plan for the future of the human species.
Discover what the Firestarters
are, why fire is An Open and Shut Case,
how plants need to Adapt or Fry and
meet some Fireflowers. Download a pdf of the factsheet here.
LINKS TO THE CURRICULUM Life Sciences Grade 10, Strand 3, Environmental Studies. Content: Environment and Ecosystems.
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Firestorms in savanna and forest ecosytems: Curse or Cure? by Catherine Browne & William Bond, Veld & Flora 97(2), pp. 62–63, June 2011.
Why do grasslands have no trees? by Julia
Wakeling, William Bond & Michael Cramer, Veld & Flora 96(1), pp. 24–25, March 2010.
The long walk to treedom: A tale of the African savanna by Glenn Moncrieff, Veld & Flora 96(1), pp. 22–23, March 2010.
The devil of a job: Ecological restoration trials on Cape Lowland renosterveld by Penelope Waller, Veld & Flora 100(3), pp. 132–134, September 2014.
Where there’s smoke, there’s seed: Plant-derived smoke is an important natural ‘cue’ for the germination of fynbos seed by Neville Brown, Philip Botha, Deon Kotze and Hanneke Jamieson,
Veld &
Flora 79(3) pp. 77–79,
September (1993).
Misunderstood: Our grasslands are ancient stable features with a rich assemblage of plants and not just an early stage in the formation of forests by Nicholas
Zaloumis. Veld &
Flora 97(2), pp. 68–70,
June 2011.
Life after death in fynbos: The story of fire and seeds by Penny Mustart, Veld & Flora 86(2), pp. June 2000.
Some readers letters on the topic of fire, Veld & Flora June 2015. Good books:
The Story of Life & the Environment: An
African perspective by Jo
van As, Johann du Preez, Leslie Brown and Nico Smit, Struik/Nature, 2012
Internet reading:
The article Fire and the spread of flowering plants in the Cretaceous by William J. Bond & Andrew C. Scott in New
Phytologist 188, 1137–1150, 2010
The SANBI
website PlantZAfrica.
The evolution of African plant diversity by H. Peter Linder, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
Fire and plant evolution: MEDECOS Special
Session on ‘Fire as an evolutionary pressure shaping plant traits’ New Phytolotist.
