The Ecology of Fire

The Ecology of Fire examines the effects of wildfires and fires used in land management.

Robert J. Whelan (Author)

9780521338141, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 10 August 1995

360 pages, 129 b/w illus. 25 tables
22.8 x 15.3 x 2 cm, 0.49 kg

'Each of the main chapters includes a listing of outstanding questions that identify gaps in current knowledge.' Forestry Abstracts

Wildfires kill many animals, but are populations of animals affected? How do animals survive the passage of fire? Why do some tree species survive and others die in a fire? Do frequent fires cause changes in plant community composition? Answering questions such as these requires an understanding of the ecological effects of fire. Aimed at senior undergraduate students, researchers, foresters and other land managers, Dr Whelan's book examines the changes wrought by fires with reference to general ecological theory. The impacts of fires on individual organisms, populations and communities are examined separately, and emphasis is placed on the importance of fire regime. Each chapter includes a listing of 'outstanding questions' that identify gaps in current knowledge. The book finishes by summarising the major aspects of ecology that are of particular relevance to management of fires - both protection against wildfires and deliberate use of fire.

Acknowledgements
1. Fire ecology - an introduction
2. Fire - the phenomenon
3. Survival of individual organisms
4. Approaches to population studies
5. Plant populations
6. Animal populations
7. Community responses to fire
8. Fire and management
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF]