Flammability analysis in the cerrado

• Grant number: 18/08101-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: July 25, 2018
• End date: December 16, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Alessandra Tomaselli Fidelis
• Grantee: Vagner Augusto Zanzarini
• Supervisor: Alan Neil Andersen
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Charles Darwin University, Casuarina (CDU), Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/09914-6 - Flammability of Cerrado, BP.MS

Abstract

Fire has been a major agent of disturbance in many ecosystems for millions of years. In flammable ecosystems, fire is important for maintaining vegetation structure, and community diversity and composition. Fire is particularly important in maintaining vegetation structure and biodiversity in tropical savannas, which are responsible for 30% of primary productivity globally. Savanna plant species have traits that allow them to survive fire and to rapidly regenerate following it. Moreover, some also have chemical, physical or morphological traits that enhance their capacity to burn, thus contributing to ecosystem flammability - the susceptibility to burn in the presence of an ignition source. An understanding of the mechanisms that enhance flammability is important for increasing the effectiveness of fire management. However, little is known about the flammability of savanna plants. This project aims to compare the functional traits of plants in relation to flammability between Brazil and Australia. (AU)