News From the Field
Trees Facilitate Wildfires as a Way to Protect Their Habitat

October 28, 2009

Fire is often thought of as something that trees should be protected from, but a new study suggests that some trees may themselves contribute to the likelihood of wildfires in order to promote their own abundance at the expense of their competitors. The study, which appears in the December 2009 issue of the journal The American Naturalist, says that positive feedback loops between fire and trees associated with savannas can make fires more likely in these ecosystems. Full Story

Source
National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)

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