The role of fire on Earth

Fire is a defining feature of our biosphere, having appeared when the first plants colonized the land, and it continues to occur across the planet at different frequencies and intensities. Fire has been and remains as an evolutionary force in many plant and animal lineages and contributes to explain...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pausas, J. G., Keeley, J. E., Bond, W. J.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:digitalcsic_::84a657fc48f1f80ccf1bf6969ace7e6d
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/429595
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Disturbance ecology
Human ecology
Terrestrial ecosystem
Fire ecology
Evolution
Descripción
Sumario:Fire is a defining feature of our biosphere, having appeared when the first plants colonized the land, and it continues to occur across the planet at different frequencies and intensities. Fire has been and remains as an evolutionary force in many plant and animal lineages and contributes to explaining the variability of our biodiversity. Fire has also shaped the structure of many ecosystems and the distribution of biomes, and it is an important contributor to the global biogeochemical cycles. In addition, fire has been a key factor in human evolution, and, in turn, humans have modified fire regimes with important consequences for the biosphere. Consequently, fire is an intrinsic factor on our planet. Our challenge now is to understand and predict the role of fire in a densely populated, highly technological world that imposes significant changes on the Earth.