Kandlikar+Simha: Soil microbial effects on plant community response to fire in longleaf pine savanna скачать в хорошем качестве

Kandlikar+Simha: Soil microbial effects on plant community response to fire in longleaf pine savanna

Theoretical Ecology Seminar from the IITE (https://iite.info) by Anita Simha and Gaurav Kandlikar (Louisiana State University). Recorded 29th Apr 2025. Abstract: Across the globe, many herbaceous-dominated ecosystems are experiencing "woody encroachment," in which shrubs and trees establish and dominate in areas formerly occupied by herbaceous vegetation. The drivers of woody encroachment can vary across ecosystems, but these transitions often proceed abruptly, suggesting that positive feedback loops may be at play. Plant interactions with soil microbes are one potential driver of such positive feedback loops. An at-risk ecosystem in which such dynamics are thought to occur is the longleaf pine savanna of the southeastern US. Only a fraction of the more than 30 million hectare extent of longleaf pine savannas remains today, and much of what exists is in a degraded state, in part due to a legacy of fire suppression. In this talk, we will present a patch occupancy modeling framework for evaluating the role of fire in affecting plant-soil microbe interactions - and ultimately, in driving the dynamics of woody encroachment in longleaf pine savannas. We show that maintaining periodic low-intensity fires can rescue the system from woody-encroachment, and that the temporal dynamics of these transitions can be mediated by the nature of plant-soil microbe interactions. We welcome feedback and discussion on this ongoing project.