| 66356 |
Creator |
ce5b733bb54d91c76a73d8adcb28edd9 |
| 66356 |
Creator |
ext-5091b2f0167d030c8dfa3e1ed152dadd |
| 66356 |
Creator |
ext-eedbfa96470a8d5d4969ae1284f6387c |
| 66356 |
Date |
2019-08 |
| 66356 |
Is Part Of |
repository |
| 66356 |
Is Part Of |
p2624893X |
| 66356 |
abstract |
Tropical peat swamp forests are invaluable for their role in storing atmospheric carbon,
notably in their unique below-ground reservoirs. Differing from <i>terra firme</i>
forests, the peat-forming function of tropical swamps relies on the integrity of discrete
hydrological units, in turn intricately linked to the above-ground woody, and herbaceous
vegetation. Contemporary changes at a local, e.g., fire, to global level, e.g., climatic
change, are impacting the integrity, and functioning of these ecosystems. In order
to determine the level of impact and predict their likely future response, it is essential
to understand past ecosystem disturbance, and resilience. Here, we explore the impact
of burning on tropical peat swamp forests. Fires within degraded tropical peatlands
are now commonplace; whilst fires within intact peat swamp forests are thought to
be rare events. Yet little is known about their long-term natural fire regime. Using
fossil pollen and charcoal data from three peat cores collected from Sarawak, Malaysian
Borneo, we looked at the incidence and impact of local and regional fire on coastal
peat swamp forests over the last 7,000 years. Palaeoecological results demonstrate
that burning has occurred in these wetland ecosystems throughout their history, with
peaks corresponding to periods of strengthened ENSO. However, prior to the Colonial
era c. 1839 when human presence in the coastal swamp forests was relatively minimal,
neither local nor regional burning significantly impacted the forest vegetation. After
the mid-nineteenth century, at the onset of intensified land-use change, fire incidence
elevated significantly within the peatlands. Although fire does not correlate with
past vegetation changes, the long-term data reveal that it likely does correlate with
the clearance of forest by humans. Our results suggest that human activity may be
strongly influencing and acting synergistically with fire in the recent past, leading
to the enhanced degradation of these peatland ecosystems. However, intact tropical
peat swamp forests can, and did recover from local fire events. These findings support
present-day concerns about the increase in fire incidence and combined impacts of
fire, human disturbance and El Niño on peat swamp forests, with serious implications
for biodiversity, human health and global climate change. |
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authorList |
authors |
| 66356 |
status |
peerReviewed |
| 66356 |
uri |
http://data.open.ac.uk/oro/document/945224 |
| 66356 |
uri |
http://data.open.ac.uk/oro/document/945225 |
| 66356 |
uri |
http://data.open.ac.uk/oro/document/945226 |
| 66356 |
uri |
http://data.open.ac.uk/oro/document/945227 |
| 66356 |
uri |
http://data.open.ac.uk/oro/document/945228 |
| 66356 |
uri |
http://data.open.ac.uk/oro/document/945229 |
| 66356 |
uri |
http://data.open.ac.uk/oro/document/946708 |
| 66356 |
volume |
2 |
| 66356 |
type |
AcademicArticle |
| 66356 |
type |
Article |
| 66356 |
label |
Cole, Lydia E. S.; Bhagwat, Shonil A. and Willis, Katherine J. (2019). Fire in the
Swamp Forest: Palaeoecological Insights Into Natural and Human-Induced Burning in
Intact Tropical Peatlands. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 2, article no.
48. |
| 66356 |
label |
Cole, Lydia E. S.; Bhagwat, Shonil A. and Willis, Katherine J. (2019). Fire in
the Swamp Forest: Palaeoecological Insights Into Natural and Human-Induced Burning
in Intact Tropical Peatlands. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 2, article
no. 48. |
| 66356 |
Title |
Fire in the Swamp Forest: Palaeoecological Insights Into Natural and Human-Induced
Burning in Intact Tropical Peatlands |
| 66356 |
in dataset |
oro |