Convergence and divergence in fire-prone ecosystems

Mediterranean-type ecosystems share a climate characterised by cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers, and these ecosystems support vegetation that is typical of particular regions – fynbos in the Cape; chaparral and coniferous forests in California; kwongan, heaths and dry sclerophyll forests in southern Australia; maquis and garrigue in the Mediterranean basin; and matorral in Chile. These ecosystems cover just 5% of the earth’s land surface, yet they contain 20% of the world’s plant species, many of which are not found anywhere else. A pervasive feature of these areas is the frequent occurrence of intense fires in the dry summer season. Historically, biogeographers and ecologists have attempted to explain the structure and composition of vegetation in terms of climate and geology alone. One of the more recent contributions arising from the study of MTEs is an understanding of the critical role that fire plays in shaping vegetation. A central theme of the book is that plant communities cannot be understood without considering the climate–fire– geology filter that controls the assembly of these systems. Another uniting theme within fireadapted and fire-dependent MTEs is how ecosystem managers can ensure the survival of the remarkable biodiversity that coexists cheek by jowl with dense human settlements. The tale unfolds in this book in three parts. The first is a broad introduction to MTEs and fire; fuels, fires and fire regimes; fire-related traits in plants; and how plants respond to fire regimes. The second addresses each of the five MTEs separately, covering aspects of the vegetation, fire environment and fire ecology. The third part compares and synthesises the evolution of fire adaptive traits, how fire regimes originated in MTEs and came to shape the modern vegetation, and how these systems are managed.