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Dryad

Fire alters diversity, composition and structure of dry tropical forests in the Eastern Ghats

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Aug 27, 2021 version files 37.33 KB

Abstract

Fire is known to have dramatic consequences on forest ecosystems around the world, and on the livelihoods of forest-dependent people. While the Eastern Ghats of India have high abundances of fire-prone dry tropical forests, little is known about how fire influences the diversity, composition and structure of these communities. Our study aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining the effects of presence and absence of recent fire on tropical dry forest communities within Kadiri watershed, Eastern Ghats. We sampled plots with and without evidence of recent fire in the Eswaramala Reserve Forest in 2008 and 2018. Our results indicate that even though stem density increases in the recently burned areas, species richness is lower because communities become dominated by a few species with fire resistance and tolerance traits, such as thick bark and clonal sprouting. Further, in the presence of fire, the size structure of these fire-tolerant species shifts towards smaller-sized, resprouting individuals. Our results demonstrate that conservation actions are needed to prevent further degradation of forests in this region and the ecosystem services they provide.