Fire and ant interactions mediated by honeydew and extrafloral nectar in an australian tropical savanna.

Fire is a major disturbance affecting ecosystems globally, but its impact on mutualisms has received minimal attention. Here, we use a long-term field experiment to investigate the impact of different fire regimes on globally important ant-honeydew and ant-extrafloral nectar (EFN) mutualistic interactions in an Australian tropical savanna. These interactions provide ants with a key energy source, while their plant and hemipteran hosts receive protection services. We examined ant interactions on species of Eucalyptus (lacking EFNs) and Acacia (with EFNs) in three replicate plots each of burning every 2 and 3 years early in the dry season, burning late in the dry season every 2 years, and unburnt for > 25 years. The proportions of plants with ant-honeydew interactions in Acacia (44.6%) and Eucalyptus (36.3%) were double those of Acacia plants with ant-EFN interactions (18.9%). The most common ants, representing 85% of all interactions, were behaviourally dominant species of Oecophylla, Iridomyrmex and Papyrius. Fire promoted the incidence of ant interactions, especially those involving EFNs on Acacia, which occurred on only 3% of plants in unburnt plots compared with 24% in frequently burnt plots. Fire also promoted the relative incidence of behaviourally dominant ants, which are considered the highest quality mutualists. Contrary to expectations, frequent fire did not result in a switching of behaviourally dominant ant partners from forest-adapted Oecophylla to arid-adapted Iridomyrmex. Our findings that frequent fire increases ant interactions mediated by honeydew and extrafloral nectar, and promotes the quality of ant mutualists, have important implications for protective services provided by ants in highly fire-prone ecosystems.

Determination of Toxicity at Different Trophic Levels of Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) Used in Fire Fighting.

Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF), containing perfluorinated surfactants, can reach the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the ecotoxicity of AFFF, according to the type of fire to be fought (A1: 1.05 g.L- 1, A2: 3.15 g.L- 1 and A3: 6.30 g.L- 1), to bioindicators of different trophic levels. For Artemia salina a toxic effect was observed at sample A1 (at concentrations of 100%), A2 (at concentrations above 25%) and A3 (at concentrations above 12.5%). For Lactuca sativa all samples affected the number of germinated seeds, speed and percentage of germination and root length. To the Eisenia fetida earthworm, samples A2 and A3 were considered toxic due to the percent avoidance being 70% and 100%, respectively. In Macaca mullata renal cell culture test, none of the samples were toxic by the MTT test. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods for the safe use of AFFF by professionals.

Influence of precipitation and temperature on burned areas in the agricultural and cattle ranching frontier of the Brazilian Amazon.

Fire occurrence, intensity, and spread are highly influenced by climatic variables. This study investigates the correlation between burned area, precipitation, and temperature in Rondônia, an agricultural frontier in the southwestern Brazilian Legal Amazon, from 2001 to 2022. The analysis utilized climatological data from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) and MODIS product MOD11A1.061 for temperature, along with MODIS product MCD64A1 for burned area. The study was conducted on a monthly scale, employing the cross-correlation function to determine the lagged effects of temperature and precipitation on burned areas. Trend analysis was performed using the Mann-Kendall test, with the magnitude of trends estimated by Sen's Slope. Results indicated a significant negative correlation between burned areas and precipitation, with a 2-month lag and an R2 of - 0.51. In contrast, temperature exhibited a significant positive correlation with burned areas, showing a 1-month lag and an R2 of 0.55. Trend analysis revealed a decrease in precipitation by - 0.0542 mm.month-1, temperature increased by 0.006 °C.month-1, while burned areas decreased by - 111.13 km2.month-1. These findings underscore the intricate relationship between climate variables and fire occurrences, highlighting the urgent need for policies addressing climate change and environmental degradation in the Amazon.

Unveiling the hidden reserves: allocation strategies associated with underground organs of Cerrado legumes in fire-prone savannas.

The synthesis and differential allocation of reserve compounds is an important adaptive mechanism that enables species to resprout in fire-prone ecosystems. The analysis of compound allocation dynamics (differential accumulation of compounds between plant organs) provides insights into plant responses to disturbances. The aim was to quantify reserves in eight legume species from Cerrado open savannas with high fire frequency in order to investigate the patterns of allocation and distribution of compounds between leaves and underground organs, drawing ecophysiological inferences. The species were collected in 'campo sujo' areas of the Cerrado. Leaves and underground organs (xylopodium, taproot tubers) were subjected to physiological analyses. Overall, underground organs were characterised by greater deposits of carbohydrates, mainly soluble sugars, and also with the accumulation of proteins and amino acids. This suggests that nitrogen reserves, as well as carbohydrates, may have an ecophysiological function in response to fire, being allocated to the underground organs. Phenols were mainly evident in leaves, but a morphophysiological pattern was identified, where the two species with taproot tubers tended to concentrate more phenols in the underground portion compared to species with xylopodium, possibly due to functional differences between these organs. Such data allow inferring relevant ecophysiological dynamics in legumes from open savannas.

Time since fire as a driver of taxonomic and phylogenetic patterns of grassland plant communities.

Fire plays a key role in grasslands, determining the distribution and evolution of species and boundaries with neighboring ecosystems. Evidence of community-wide responses to fire is largely based on taxonomic and functional descriptors, while the phylogenetic dimension is overlooked. Here we evaluated how the taxonomic and phylogenetic structure of grassland plant communities responded to a time since fire (TSF) gradient. We sampled 12 communities in Southern Brazil under varying TSF and calculated taxonomic species richness (S) and dominance (D), phylogenetic diversity (PD), and mean phylogenetic distances (MPD). We used Structural Equation Models to test the relationships between the environmental gradient and community descriptors. Communities with longer TSF presented higher PD and MPD but lower species richness and increased taxonomic dominance. These sites were dominated by monocots, specifically C4 grasses, but also presented exclusive clades, whereas recently-burned sites presented lower taxonomic dominance and more species distributed in a wider variety of clades. Our results indicate that these scenarios are interchangeable and dependent on fire management. Fire adaptation was not constrained by phylogenetic relatedness, contrasting with previous findings for tropical savannahs and indicating that temperate and tropical non-forest ecosystems from South America respond differently to fire, possibly due to different evolutionary histories.

Multidecadal vegetation transformations of a New Mexico ponderosa pine landscape after severe fires and aerial seeding.

Wildfires and climate change increasingly are transforming vegetation composition and structure, and postfire management may have long-lasting effects on ecosystem reorganization. Postfire aerial seeding treatments are commonly used to reduce runoff and soil erosion, but little is known about how seeding treatments affect native vegetation recovery over long periods of time, particularly in type-converted forests that have been dramatically transformed by the effects of repeated, high-severity fire. In this study, we analyze and report on a rare long-term (23-year) dataset that documents vegetation dynamics following a 1996 post-fire aerial seeding treatment and a subsequent 2011 high-severity reburn in a dry conifer landscape of northern New Mexico, USA. Repeated surveys between 1997 and 2019 of 49 permanent transects were analyzed for differences in vegetation cover, richness, and diversity between seeded and unseeded areas, and to characterize the development of seeded and unseeded vegetation communities through time and across gradients of burn severity, elevation, and soil-available water capacity. Seeded plots showed no significant difference in bare ground cover during the initial years postfire relative to unseeded plots. Postfire seeding led to a clear and sustained divergence in herbaceous community composition. Seeded plots had a much higher cover of non-native graminoids, primarily Bromus inermis, a likely contaminant in the seed mix. High-severity reburning of all plots in 2011 reduced native graminoid cover by half at seeded plots compared with both prefire levels and with plots that were unseeded following the initial 1996 fire. In addition, higher fire severity was associated with increased non-native graminoid cover and reduced native graminoid cover. This study documents fire-driven ecosystem transformation from conifer forest into a shrub-and-grass-dominated system, reinforced by aerial seeding of grasses and high-severity reburning. This unique long-term dataset illustrates that post-fire seeding carries significant risks of unwanted non-native species invasions that persist through subsequent fires-thus alternative postfire management actions merit consideration to better support native ecosystem resilience given emergent climate change and increasing disturbance. This study also highlights the importance of long-term monitoring of postfire vegetation dynamics, as short-term assessments miss key elements of complex ecosystem responses to fire and postfire management actions.

Amazon Wildfires and Respiratory Health: Impacts during the Forest Fire Season from 2009 to 2019.

The Brazilian Amazon, a vital tropical region, faces escalating threats from human activities, agriculture, and climate change. This study aims to assess the relationship between forest fire occurrences, meteorological factors, and hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases in the Legal Amazon region from 2009 to 2019. Employing simultaneous equation models with official data, we examined the association between deforestation-induced fires and respiratory health issues. Over the studied period, the Legal Amazon region recorded a staggering 1,438,322 wildfires, with 1,218,606 (85%) occurring during August-December, known as the forest fire season. During the forest fire season, a substantial portion (566,707) of the total 1,532,228 hospital admissions for respiratory diseases were recorded in individuals aged 0-14 years and 60 years and above. A model consisting of two sets of simultaneous equations was constructed. This model illustrates the seasonal fluctuations in meteorological conditions driving human activities associated with increased forest fires. It also represents how air quality variations impact the occurrence of respiratory diseases during forest fires. This modeling approach unveiled that drier conditions, elevated temperatures, and reduced precipitation exacerbate fire incidents, impacting hospital admissions for respiratory diseases at a rate as high as 22 hospital admissions per 1000 forest fire events during the forest fire season in the Legal Amazon, 2009-2019. This research highlights the urgent need for environmental and health policies to mitigate the effects of Amazon rainforest wildfires, stressing the interplay of deforestation, climate change, and human-induced fires on respiratory health.

Is there a relationship between forest fires and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon?

The Brazilian Legal Amazon is an extensive territory in which different factors influence the dynamics of forest fires. Currently, the Brazilian government has two tools in the public domain and free of charge, PRODES and BDQueimadas, to monitor and make decisions to combat deforestation and forest fires. This work aimed to evaluate and correlate the forest fire alerts and deforestation in the Amazon Forest in the state of Pará. The analyses were based on carrying out a diagnosis of forest fires and deforestation; the behavior of forest fires and deforestation over the last twenty years; the statistical relationship between deforestation and forest fires and their spatialization. This work identified that Pará is the state in the Legal Amazon with the highest occurrence of forest fires and deforestation. Deforestation in the four-year period Jan/2003-Dec/2006 showed a higher rate compared to the four-year periods Jan/2011-Dec/2018. A high correlation was found between forest fire alerts and increases in deforestation. There is a spatial relationship between cities with greater increases in deforestation and high numbers of fire alerts. In relation to the occurrence of forest fires and deforestation, the south of the state was the most critical region and the north had lower rates.

Forest type modulates mammalian responses to megafires.

Although considered an evolutionary force responsible for shaping ecosystems and biodiversity, fires' natural cycle is being altered by human activities, increasing the odds of destructive megafire events. Here, we show that forest type modulates the responses of terrestrial mammals, from species to assemblage level, to a catastrophic megafire in the Brazilian Pantanal. We unraveled that mammalian richness was higher 1 year after fire passage compared to a pre-fire condition, which can be attributed to habitat modification caused by wildfires, attracting herbivores and open-area tolerant species. We observed changes in assemblage composition between burned/unburned sites, but no difference in mammalian richness or relative abundance. However, by partitioning the effects of burned area proportion per forest type (monospecific vs. polyspecific), we detected differential responses of mammals at several levels of organization, with pronounced declines in species richness and relative abundance in monospecific forests. Eighty-six percent of the species presented moderate to strong negative effects on their relative abundance, with an overall strong negative effect for the entire assemblage. Wildfires are predicted to be more frequent with climate and land use change, and if events analogous to Pantanal-2020 become recurrent, they might trigger regional beta diversity change, benefitting open-area tolerant species.

Beyond fire: Flower production naturally occurs and is also influenced by leaf removal in a Neotropical savanna herb.

Several herbaceous species exhibit mass flowering after fires in Neotropical savannas. However, unequivocal evidence of fire dependency and the consequences for plant reproduction are lacking. In nutrient-poor fire-prone savannas, the damage caused by fire and by other means (e.g., leaf removal, but not necessarily having a negative impact) constrains the maintenance and expansion of plant population by affecting the ability of individuals to recover. Therefore, the compensatory responses of plants to both damages should be convergent in such environments. Using Bulbostylis paradoxa-reported to be fire-dependent to flower-as a model, we investigated the role of fire and leaf removal in anticipating the flowering and reproduction periods, and its possible consequences on seedling establishment. We monitored 70 burned individuals, 70 damaged/clipped, and 35 without damage to estimate time for flowering, seed quality and germination parameters. To expand our sampling coverage, we examined high-resolution images from herbarium collections in the SpeciesLink database. For each herbarium image, we recorded the presence or absence of a fire scar, the month of flowering, and the number of flowering stalks. Bulbostylis paradoxa was fire-stimulated but not dependent on fire to flower, with 65.7% of the individuals flowering in the burned area, 48.6% in the clipped, and 11.4% in the control. This was consistent with the analysis of the herbarium images in which 85.7% of the specimens with flowers had fire scars and 14.3% did not. Burned individuals synchronized flowering and produced more viable seeds. However, the seeds might face a period of unsuitable ecological conditions after early to mid-dry season fires. Flowering of unburned plants was synchronized with the onset of the rainy season. Flexibility in flowering and vegetative reproduction by fragmentation confer to this species, and most likely other plants from the herbaceous layer, the capability of site occupation and population persistence in burned and unburned savanna sites.

Exploring the ethnobiological practices of fire in three natural regions of Ecuador, through the integration of traditional knowledge and scientific approaches.

This study examines the convergence between traditional and scientific knowledge regarding the use of fire and its potential to trigger wildfires, with possible impacts on ecosystems and human well-being. The research encompasses three distinct natural regions of Ecuador: the coast, the highlands, and the Amazon. Data on traditional fire use were collected through semi-structured interviews with 791 members from five local communities. These data were compared with climatic variables (rainfall (mm), relative humidity (%), wind speed (km/h), and wind direction) to understand the climatic conditions conducive to wildfires and their relationship with human perceptions. Furthermore, the severity of fires over the past 4 years (2019-2022) was assessed using remote sensing methods, employing the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) and the difference between pre-fire and post-fire conditions (NBR Pre-fire-NBR Post-fire). The results revealed a significant alignment between traditional knowledge, climatic data, and many fires, which were of low severity, suggesting potential benefits for ecosystems. These findings not only enable the identification of optimal techniques and timing for traditional burns but also contribute to human well-being by maintaining a harmonious balance between communities and their environment. Additionally, they provide valuable insights for the development of more inclusive and effective integrated fire management strategies in these natural areas of Ecuador.

The contributions of social network support and reciprocity to posttraumatic stress symptoms across time among parents and caregivers impacted by the ABC Day Care Center fire in Hermosillo, Mexico.

In 2009, a fire occurred in the ABC Day Care Center in Hermosillo, Mexico, that killed and injured many children who were in attendance that day. This study investigated the association between the posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) of socially connected parents and caregivers whose children were affected by the fire. Parents and caregivers of the children who were in attendance the day of the fire were interviewed 8-11 months and 20-23 months postfire. Linear network autocorrelation modeling was used to test for autocorrelations of the outcome variable count of PTSS within different configurations of the network of caregivers. No significant network effects appeared in models from the first interview period, but effects did appear in the second period, specifically in the three models in which network ties consisted of "receive informational support" (.220), "give and receive emotional support" (.167), and "give and receive both informational and emotional support" (.213). The findings suggest that in these three network configurations, as relationships grew in strength from the first interview to the second, the level of one's own PTSS was more comparable to the level of PTSS of one's social connections. Two theoretical mechanisms that may explain this result are homophily and social influence.

Optimal Rotation Age in Fast Growing Plantations: A Dynamical Optimization Problem.

Forest plantations are economically and environmentally relevant, as they play a key role in timber production and carbon capture. It is expected that the future climate change scenario affects forest growth and modify the rotation age for timber production. However, mathematical models on the effect of climate change on the rotation age for timber production remain still limited. We aim to determine the optimal rotation age that maximizes the net economic benefit of timber volume in a negative scenario from the climatic point of view. For this purpose, a bioeconomic optimal control problem was formulated from a system of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) governed by the state variables live biomass volume, intrinsic growth rate, and area affected by fire. Then, four control variables were associated to the system, representing forest management activities, which are felling, thinning, reforestation, and fire prevention. The existence of optimal control solutions was demonstrated, and the solutions of the optimal control problem were also characterized using Pontryagin's Maximum Principle. The solutions of the model were approximated numerically by the Forward-Backward Sweep method. To validate the model, two scenarios were considered: a realistic scenario that represents current forestry activities for the exotic species Pinus radiata D. Don, and a pessimistic scenario, which considers environmental conditions conducive to a higher occurrence of forest fires. The optimal solution that maximizes the net benefit of timber volume consists of a strategy that considers all four control variables simultaneously. For felling and thinning, regardless of the scenario considered, the optimal strategy is to spend on both activities depending on the amount of biomass in the field. Similarly, for reforestation, the optimal strategy is to spend as the forest is harvested. In the case of fire prevention, in the realistic scenario, the optimal strategy consists of reducing the expenses in fire prevention because the incidence of fires is lower, whereas in the pessimistic scenario, the opposite is true. It is concluded that the optimal rotation age that maximizes the net economic benefit of timber volume in P. radiata plantations is 24 and 19 years for the realistic and pessimistic scenarios, respectively. This corroborates that the presence of fires influences the determination of the optimal rotation age, and as a consequence, the net economic benefit.

Pre-contact and post-colonial ecological legacies shape Surinamese rainforests.

Disturbances in tropical forests can have long-lasting ecological impacts, but their manifestations (ecological legacies) in modern forests are uncertain. Many Amazonian forests bear the mark of past soil modifications, species enrichments, and fire events, but the trajectories of ecological legacies from the pre-contact or post-colonial period remain relatively unexplored. We assessed the fire and vegetation history from 15 soil cores ranging from 0 to 10 km from a post-colonial Surinamese archaeological site. We show that (1) fires occurred from 96 bc to recent times and induced significant vegetation change, (2) persistent ecological legacies from pre-contact and post-colonial fire and deforestation practices were mainly within 1 km of the archaeological site, and (3) palm enrichment of Attalea, Oenocarpus and Astrocaryum occurred within 0, 1, and 8 km of the archaeological site, respectively. Our results challenge the notion of spatially extensive and persistent ecological legacies. Instead, our data indicate that the persistence and extent of ecological legacies are dependent on their timing, frequency, type, and intensity. Examining the mechanisms and manifestations of ecological legacies is crucial in assessing forest resilience and Indigenous and local land rights in the highly threatened Amazonian forests.

Modeling population dynamics of invasive pines to optimize their control in native grasslands of Argentina.

The spread of invasive alien species over natural environments has become one of the most serious threats to biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems worldwide. Understanding the population attributes that allow a given species to become invasive is crucial for improving prevention and control interventions. Pampas grasslands are particularly sensitive to the invasion of exotic woody plants. In particular, the Ventania Mountains undergo the advance of alien woody plants; among which the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) stands out due to the extension of the area it covers and the magnitude of the ecological changes associated to its presence. Using a model that describes the population dynamics of the species in the area, we evaluated the expected behavior of the population under different environmental conditions and different management scenarios. When the effect of stochastic fires was simulated, the growth rate was greater than 1 for all the frequencies considered, peaking under fires every nine years, on average. When evaluating the effect of periodic mechanical control of the adult population, the reduction in growth rate was insufficient, except for cutting intensities that significantly exceeded the current operational capacity of the area. Under prescribed fire scenarios, on the other hand, burning frequencies greater than seven years resulted in population reductions. The results highlight the importance of fire in regulating the population of P. halepensis in the Ventania Mountains, with contrasting effects depending on the frequency with which it occurs, which allows considering it as an effective environmental management option for the control of the species.

Neotropical mammal responses to megafires in the Brazilian Pantanal.

The increasing frequency and severity of human-caused fires likely have deleterious effects on species distribution and persistence. In 2020, megafires in the Brazilian Pantanal burned 43% of the biome's unburned area and resulted in mass mortality of wildlife. We investigated changes in habitat use or occupancy for an assemblage of eight mammal species in Serra do Amolar, Brazil, following the 2020 fires using a pre- and post-fire camera trap dataset. Additionally, we estimated the density for two naturally marked species, jaguars Panthera onca and ocelots Leopardus pardalis. Of the eight species, six (ocelots, collared peccaries Dicotyles tajacu, giant armadillos Priodontes maximus, Azara's agouti Dasyprocta azarae, red brocket deer Mazama americana, and tapirs Tapirus terrestris) had declining occupancy following fires, and one had stable habitat use (pumas Puma concolor). Giant armadillo experienced the most precipitous decline in occupancy from 0.431 ± 0.171 to 0.077 ± 0.044 after the fires. Jaguars were the only species with increasing habitat use, from 0.393 ± 0.127 to 0.753 ± 0.085. Jaguar density remained stable across years (2.8 ± 1.3, 3.7 ± 1.3, 2.6 ± 0.85/100 km2), while ocelot density increased from 13.9 ± 3.2 to 16.1 ± 5.2/100 km2. However, the low number of both jaguars and ocelots recaptured after the fire period suggests that immigration may have sustained the population. Our results indicate that the megafires will have significant consequences for species occupancy and fitness in fire-affected areas. The scale of megafires may inhibit successful recolonization, thus wider studies are needed to investigate population trends.

A crescente frequência e gravidade dos incêndios causados pelo homem provavelmente terão efeitos deletérios na distribuição e persistência das espécies. Em 2020, mega incêndios no Pantanal brasileiro queimaram 43% do bioma e resultaram na mortalidade em massa da vida selvagem. Nós investigamos mudanças no uso ou ocupação do habitat para uma comunidade de oito espécies de mamíferos na Serra do Amolar, Brasil, após os incêndios de 2020, usando um conjunto de dados de armadilhas fotográficas instaladas no período pré e pós­fogo. Além disso, estimamos a densidade de duas espécies naturalmente marcadas, a onça­pintada Panthera onca e a jaguatirica Leopardus pardalis. Das oito espécies, seis (a jaguatirica, o cateto Dicotyles tajacu, o tatu­canastra Priodontes maximus, a cutia Dasyprocta azarae, o veado mateiro Mazama americana e a anta Tapirus terrestris) tiveram ocupação reduzida após os incêndios, e uma teve uso de habitat estável (a onça­parda, Puma concolor). O tatu­canastra apresentou o declínio mais acentuado na ocupação após os incêndios de 0,431 ± 0,171 para 0,077 ± 0,044. A onça­pintada foi a única espécie com uso crescente de habitat, de 0,393 ± 0,127 para 0,753 ± 0,085. A densidade da onça­pintada permaneceu estável ao longo dos anos (2,8 ± 1,3, 3,7 ± 1,3, 2,6 ± 0,85/100 km2), enquanto a densidade da jaguatirica aumentou de 13,9 ± 3,2 para 16,1 ± 5,2/100 km2. No entanto, o baixo número de onças­pintadas e jaguatiricas recapturadas após o período do fogo sugere que a imigração pode ter sustentado as populações. Nossos resultados indicam que os mega incêndios terão consequências significativas para a ocupação e resiliência das espécies nas áreas afetadas pelo fogo. A escala dos mega incêndios pode inibir uma recolonização bem­sucedida, pelo que são necessários estudos mais amplos para investigar as tendências populacionais.

Future fire-smoke PM2.5 health burden under climate change in Paraguay.

Recent years have seen a rise in wildfire and extreme weather activity across the globe, which is projected to keep increasing with climate-induced conditions. Air pollution, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration, is heavily affected by PM2.5 emissions from wildfire activity. Paraguay has been historically suffering from fires, with an average of 2.3 million hectares burnt per year during the 2003-2021 period. Annual PM2.5 concentration in Paraguay is 13.2 µg/m3, more than double the recommended by the WHO. We estimate that, historically, almost 40 % of fine air particulates can be attributed to fires. Using a random forest algorithm, we estimate future fire activity and fire related PM2.5 under different climate change scenarios. With global warming, we calculate that fire activity could increase by up to 120 % by 2100. Annual fire smoke PM2.5 from fires is expected to increase by 7.7 µg/m3 by 2100. Under these conditions, Paraguay is expected to suffer an increase in 3500 deaths per year attributable to fire smoke PM2.5 by 2100. We estimate the economic cost of fire smoke-related mortality by 2100 at US $ 5600 million, equivalent to 2.6 % of Paraguay's GDP, excluding other health- and productivity-related impacts on society.

Plant trait and vegetation data along a 1314 m elevation gradient with fire history in Puna grasslands, Perú.

Alpine grassland vegetation supports globally important biodiversity and ecosystems that are increasingly threatened by climate warming and other environmental changes. Trait-based approaches can support understanding of vegetation responses to global change drivers and consequences for ecosystem functioning. In six sites along a 1314 m elevational gradient in Puna grasslands in the Peruvian Andes, we collected datasets on vascular plant composition, plant functional traits, biomass, ecosystem fluxes, and climate data over three years. The data were collected in the wet and dry season and from plots with different fire histories. We selected traits associated with plant resource use, growth, and life history strategies (leaf area, leaf dry/wet mass, leaf thickness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf C, N, P content, C and N isotopes). The trait dataset contains 3,665 plant records from 145 taxa, 54,036 trait measurements (increasing the trait data coverage of the regional flora by 420%) covering 14 traits and 121 plant taxa (ca. 40% of which have no previous publicly available trait data) across 33 families.

Afforestation and climate mitigation: lessons from Chile.

The Chilean Climate Change Law excludes tree monocultures as a solution to the climate crisis, offering an opportunity for resilience and climate mitigation in Latin America. The Chilean experience with mega-fires in extensive, homogeneous forest plantations provides important lessons that could inform climate policies in other countries.