Non-additive effects on plant mixtures flammability in a tropical mountain ecosystem
2025
Roland, Helena | Silveira Matos, Ilaíne | H. P. Rosado, Bruno | Oliveras Menor, Imma | Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro Research Institute ; Partenaires INRAE | Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations (UMR AMAP) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Occitanie])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université de Montpellier (UM) | University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley) ; University of California (UC) | University of Adelaide | Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro [Brasil] = Rio de Janeiro State University [Brazil] = Université d'État de Rio de Janeiro [Brésil] (UERJ) | University of Oxford
International audience
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Inglés. Background: Consumability, a component of flammability, describes how well plants burn and may be influenced by species traits and climate change. However, knowledge gaps remain regarding how species mixtures interact and whether non-additive effects are mediated by functional traits and diversity. Aims: This study examined the consumability of species mixtures in Brazil’s tropical montane grasslands (campos de altitude), focusing on traits and species interactions. Methods: Laboratory tests measured remaining biomass (a proxy for consumability) in monospecific and three-species mixtures for seven species. Traits like specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), fuel moisture at ignition (FMCig) and maximum combustion rate (MCR) were assessed, along with functional diversity, to understand their influence on consumability. Results: Consumability in species mixtures differed from predictions based on individual species values, indicating non-additive effects. Leptostelma maximum, Pleroma hospita and Chusquea pinifolia, despite low or medium individual consumability, contributed most to mixture consumability. Higher SLA reduced consumability, whereas higher MCR, LDMC and functional index FRich increased it. Conclusions: Our results suggest that low-consumability species like L. maximum may reduce fire severity, offering opportunities for fire management in the campos de altitude. Implications These findings highlight the importance of considering species interactions in mixtures and identifying traits that shape plant community flammability.
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