The Human Ecology and Geography of Burning in an Unstable Savanna Environment
The Human Ecology and Geography of Burning in an Unstable Savanna Environment
复制标题
不稳定的稀树草原环境中燃烧的人类生态和地理
DOI：
10.2993/0278-0771-35.1.111
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发表时间：
2015
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Audrey Jo
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
P. Laris;S. Caillault;S. Dadashi;Audrey Jo
摘要根据新的生态学理论，许多热带稀树草原具有内在的不平衡性，并可以根据干扰状况从树木占主导地位的景观转变为草占主导地位的景观。特别是，火灾制度的转变，以更频繁和密集的一个可以从根本上改变树木草比在一个给定的稀树草原。借鉴生态缓冲模型，我们认为，稀树草原的持久性需要一个相对稳定的火制度。我们假设，人为燃烧的做法，通过产生一个定期的年度火灾的时空格局，是与植被类型执行这一功能。我们测试这一假设使用两个领域的研究，一个在马里和其他布基纳法索。我们使用两个来源的卫星数据，以产生一个11年的时间序列的时空格局的火灾和一个例子，这些火灾产生的年度烧毁面积模式。我们将联合收割机的卫星图像分析与对农村居民的采访相结合，以了解火灾模式背后的逻辑。图像的时间序列分析揭示了一个惊人的定期年度燃烧的时空模式，这两个研究领域，不能单独用区域气候模式来解释。我们的结论是，在西非的年度火灾制度的规律性是一种人类生态现象密切相关的植被类型和控制的人的燃烧的做法。我们认为，人为燃烧制度的缓冲稀树草原，保持其生态稳定。
Abstract According to new ecological theories, many savannas are inherently in disequilibrium and can flip from tree-dominated to grass-dominated landscapes depending upon the disturbance regime. In particular, a shift in a fire regime to a more frequent and intensive one can radically alter the tree-to-grass ratio in a given savanna. Drawing upon the ecological buffering model we argue that savanna persistence requires a relatively stable fire regime. We hypothesize that anthropogenic burning practices perform this function by producing a regular annual spatiotemporal pattern of fire that is linked to vegetation type. We test this hypothesis using a study of two areas, one in Mali and the other Burkina Faso. We use two sources of satellite data to produce an 11-year time series of the spatiotemporal pattern of fires and an example of the annual burned area pattern these fires produce. We combine the analysis of satellite imagery with interviews of rural inhabitants who set fires to understand the logic underlying the patterns of fire. Analysis of a time series of imagery reveals a strikingly regular annual spatiotemporal pattern of burning for both study areas, which cannot be explained by the regional climatic pattern alone. We conclude that the regularity of the annual fire regime in West Africa is a human-ecological phenomenon closely linked to vegetation type and controlled by people's burning practices. We argue that the anthropogenic burning regime serves to buffer the savanna and maintain its ecological stability.