Deep history of wildfire in Australia
Robert S. Hill A C and Gregory J. Jordan B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
B School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: bob.hill@adelaide.edu.au
Australian Journal of Botany 64(8) 557-563 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT16169
Submitted: 23 August 2016 Accepted: 17 November 2016 Published: 12 December 2016
Abstract
Australian plant species vary markedly in their fire responses, and the evolutionary histories of the diverse range of traits that lead to fire tolerance and fire dependence almost certainly involves both exaptation and traits that evolved directly in response to fire. The hypothesis that very long-term nutrient poverty in Australian soils led to intense fires explains many of the unusual responses to fire by Australian species, as does near global distribution of evidence for fire during the Cretaceous, possibly driven by high atmospheric oxygen concentration. Recent descriptions of leaf fragments from a Late Cretaceous locality in central Australia have provided the first fossil evidence for ancient and possibly ancestral fire ecology in modern fire-dependent Australian clades, as suggested by some phylogenetic studies. The drying of the Australian climate in the Neogene allowed the rise to dominance of taxa that had their origin in the Late Cretaceous, but had not been prominent in the rainforest-dominated Paleogene. The Neogene climatic evolution meant that fire became an important feature of that environment and fire frequency and intensity began to grow to high levels, and many fire adaptations evolved. However, many plant species were already in place to take advantage of this new fire regime, and even though the original drivers for fire may have changed (possibly from high atmospheric oxygen concentrations, to long, hot, dry periods at different times in different parts of the continent), the adaptations that these species had for fire tolerance meant they could become prominent over much of the Australian continent by the time human colonisation began.
Additional keywords: Cenozoic, Cretaceous, macrofossils, nutrients.
References
Anagnostou E, John EH, Edgar KM, Foster GL, Ridgwell A, Inglis GN, Pancost RD, Lunt DJ, Pearson PN (2016) Changing atmospheric CO2 concentration was the primary driver of early Cenozoic climate. Nature 533, 380–384.| Changing atmospheric CO2 concentration was the primary driver of early Cenozoic climate.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC28XmvVGnt74%3D&md5=5162e2fe9555b5af5b2327d3e91ff04bCAS |
Arvidson RS, Mackenzie FT, Guidry M (2006) MAGic: a Phanerozoic model for the geochemical cycling of major rock-forming components. American Journal of Science 306, 135–190.
| MAGic: a Phanerozoic model for the geochemical cycling of major rock-forming components.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD28Xntlyqtb4%3D&md5=04ad7a1482bba6da523d28fb5e32a788CAS |
Belcher CM (2009) Re-igniting the Cretaceous–Palaeogene firestorm debate. Geology 37, 1147–1148.
| Re-igniting the Cretaceous–Palaeogene firestorm debate.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Belcher CM, Yearsley JM, Hadden RM, McElwain JC, Rein G (2010) Baseline intrinsic flammability of Earth’s ecosystems estimated from paleoatmospheric oxygen over the past 350 million years. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 107, 22448–22453.
| Baseline intrinsic flammability of Earth’s ecosystems estimated from paleoatmospheric oxygen over the past 350 million years.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3MXkslSksg%3D%3D&md5=27a783941561761a413c29f9eff2580aCAS |
Bergman NM, Lenton TM, Watson AJ (2004) COPSE: a new model of biogeochemical cycling over Phanerozoic time. American Journal of Science 304, 397–437.
| COPSE: a new model of biogeochemical cycling over Phanerozoic time.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2cXot1yjt7k%3D&md5=8e10c6a7b938f9a416f5737f40f8dde8CAS |
Berner RA (2006) GEOCARBSULF: a combined model for Phanerozoic atmospheric O2 and CO2. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70, 5653–5664.
| GEOCARBSULF: a combined model for Phanerozoic atmospheric O2 and CO2.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD28Xht1Wmtb%2FF&md5=8be4dfccad152346de4b14eb9880ad0fCAS |
Blackburn DT, Sluiter IRK (1994) The Oligo–Miocene coal floras of southeastern Australia. In ‘History of the Australian vegetation: Cretaceous to Recent’. (Ed. RS Hill) pp. 328–367. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK)
Bond WJ, Scott AC (2010) Fire and the spread of flowering plants in the Cretaceous. New Phytologist 188, 1137–1150.
| Fire and the spread of flowering plants in the Cretaceous.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bowman DMJS, Murphy BP, Burrows GE, Crisp MD (2012) Fire regimes and the evolution of the Australian biota. In ‘Flammable Australia: fire regimes, biodiversity and eco-systems in a changing world’. (Eds AM Gill, RJ Williams, RA Bradstock) pp. 27–48. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne)
Bowman DMJS, French BJ, Prior LD (2014) Have plants evolved to self-immolate? Frontiers in Plant Science 5, 590
| Have plants evolved to self-immolate?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bradshaw SD, Dixon KW, Hopper SD, Lambers H, Turner SR (2011a) Little evidence for fire-adapted plant traits in Mediterranean climate regions. Trends in Plant Science 16, 69–76.
| Little evidence for fire-adapted plant traits in Mediterranean climate regions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3MXhvFKit78%3D&md5=31c86e781ad319ef7120f1b13ae071b9CAS |
Bradshaw SD, Dixon KW, Hopper SD, Lambers H, Turner SR (2011b) Response to Keeley et al.: fire as an evolutionary pressure shaping plant traits. Trends in Plant Science 16, 405
| Response to Keeley et al.: fire as an evolutionary pressure shaping plant traits.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3MXpvFWru7c%3D&md5=1959cdf1d288654091c0919eb958fd21CAS |
Brown SAE, Scott AC, Glasspool IJ, Collinson ME (2012) Cretaceous wildfires and their impact on the Earth system. Cretaceous Research 36, 162–190.
| Cretaceous wildfires and their impact on the Earth system.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Carpenter RJ, McLoughlin S, Hill RS, McNamara KJ, Jordan GJ (2014) Early evidence of xeromorphy in angiosperms: Stomatal encryption in a new Eocene species of Banksia (Proteaceae) from Western Australia. American Journal of Botany 101, 1486–1497.
| Early evidence of xeromorphy in angiosperms: Stomatal encryption in a new Eocene species of Banksia (Proteaceae) from Western Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Carpenter RJ, Macphail MK, Jordan GJ, Hill RS (2015) Fossil evidence for open, Proteaceae-dominated heathlands and fire in the Late Cretaceous of Australia. American Journal of Botany 102, 2092–2107.
| Fossil evidence for open, Proteaceae-dominated heathlands and fire in the Late Cretaceous of Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Carpenter RJ, Holman AI, Abell AD, Grice K (2016) Cretaceous fire in Australia: a review with new geochemical evidence, and relevance to the rise of the angiosperms. Australian Journal of Botany 64, 564–578.
| Cretaceous fire in Australia: a review with new geochemical evidence, and relevance to the rise of the angiosperms.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Crisp MD, Burrows GE, Cook LG, Thornhill AH, Bowman DMJS (2011) Flammable biomes dominated by eucalypts originated at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. Nature Communications 2, 193
| Flammable biomes dominated by eucalypts originated at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
De Lillis M, Bianco PM, Loreto F (2009) The influence of leaf water content and iso-prenoids on flammability of some Mediterranean woody species. International Journal of Wildland Fire 18, 203–212.
| The influence of leaf water content and iso-prenoids on flammability of some Mediterranean woody species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD1MXjvFOiur0%3D&md5=336ff9fd8fc1c146619d6582bef254f2CAS |
Dobzhansky T (1956) What is an adaptive trait? American Naturalist 90, 337–347.
| What is an adaptive trait?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Falcon-Lang HJ, Mages V, Collinson M (2016) The oldest Pinus and its preservation by fire. Geology 44, 303–306.
| The oldest Pinus and its preservation by fire.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Friis EM, Crane PR, Pedersen KR (2011) ‘Early Flowers and Angiosperm Evolution.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK)
Gammage B (2011) ‘The Biggest Estate on Earth.’ (Allen and Unwin: Sydney)
Glasspool IJ, Scott AC (2010) Phanerozoic concentrations of atmospheric oxygen reconstructed from sedimentary charcoal. Nature Geoscience 3, 627–630.
| Phanerozoic concentrations of atmospheric oxygen reconstructed from sedimentary charcoal.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3cXhtV2itrbI&md5=3dc913a78a4a00bc48eb7450ae5dac8eCAS |
Grandcolas P, Nattier R, Legendre F, Pellens R (2011) Mapping extrinsic traits such as extinction risks or modelled bioclimatic niches on phylogenies: does it make sense at all? Cladistics 27, 181–185.
| Mapping extrinsic traits such as extinction risks or modelled bioclimatic niches on phylogenies: does it make sense at all?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hansen KW, Wallmann K (2003) Cretaceous and Cenozoic evolution of seawater com-position, atmospheric O2 and CO2: a model perspective. American Journal of Science 303, 94–148.
| Cretaceous and Cenozoic evolution of seawater com-position, atmospheric O2 and CO2: a model perspective.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXisF2gtr8%3D&md5=ae36f4f146ef0106383aa74c02c947fbCAS |
He T, Lamont BB, Downes KS (2011) Banksia born to burn. New Phytologist 191, 184–196.
| Banksia born to burn.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hill RS, Beer YHK, Maciunas E, Tarran M, Wainman C (2016) Evolution of the eucalypts – an interpretation from the macrofossil record. Australian Journal of Botany 64, 600–608.
| Evolution of the eucalypts – an interpretation from the macrofossil record.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jordan GJ, Harrison PA, Worth JRP, Williamson GJ, Kirkpatrick JB (2016) Palaeoendemic plants provide evidence for persistence of open, well-watered vegetation since the Cretaceous. Global Ecology and Biogeography 25, 127–140.
| Palaeoendemic plants provide evidence for persistence of open, well-watered vegetation since the Cretaceous.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Keeley JE, Pausas JG, Rundel PW, Bond WJ, Bradstock RA (2011) Fire as an evolutionary pressure shaping plant traits. Trends in Plant Science 16, 406–411.
| Fire as an evolutionary pressure shaping plant traits.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3MXpvFWqsr4%3D&md5=7f69271178555bc087f4eeda05ebdc34CAS |
Kirkpatrick JB, Bridle KL, Dickinson KJM (2010) Decades-scale vegetation change in burned and unburned alpine coniferous heath. Australian Journal of Botany 58, 453–462.
| Decades-scale vegetation change in burned and unburned alpine coniferous heath.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lamont BB, He T (2012) Fire-adapted Gondwanan angiosperm floras evolved in the Cretaceous. BMC Evolutionary Biology 12, 223
| Fire-adapted Gondwanan angiosperm floras evolved in the Cretaceous.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Low T (2014) ‘Where Song Began.’ (Viking: UK)
Macphail MK (2007) ‘Australian palaeoclimates: Cretaceous to Tertiary – A review of palaeobotanical and related evidence to the year 2000. CRC LEME special volume open file report 151.’ (CRC LEME: Bentley, WA)
Manfroi J, Dutra TL, Gnaedinger S, Uhl D, Jasper A (2015) The first report of a Campanian palaeo-wildfire in the West Antarctic Peninsula. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 418, 12–18.
| The first report of a Campanian palaeo-wildfire in the West Antarctic Peninsula.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Martin HA (1996) Wildfire in past ages. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 116, 3–18.
Mast AR, Olde PM, Makinson RO, Jones E, Kubes A, Miller ET, Weston PH (2015) Paraphyly changes understanding of timing and tempo of diversification in subtribe Hakeinae (Proteaceae), a giant Australian plant radiation. American Journal of Botany 102, 1634–1646.
| Paraphyly changes understanding of timing and tempo of diversification in subtribe Hakeinae (Proteaceae), a giant Australian plant radiation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC28XnvVKqtr8%3D&md5=6f1bd73982c5429f80b8410b5a52da55CAS |
McNamara KJ, Scott JK (1983) A new species of Banksia (Proteaceae) from the Eocene Merlinleigh Sandstone of the Kennedy Range, Western Australia. Alcheringa 7, 185–193.
| A new species of Banksia (Proteaceae) from the Eocene Merlinleigh Sandstone of the Kennedy Range, Western Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Mooney SD, Harrison SP, Bartlein PJ, Daniau A-L, Stevenson J, Brownlie KC, Buckman S, Cupper M, Luly J, Black M, Colhoun E, D’Costa D, Dodson J, Haberle S, Hope GS, Ker-shaw P, Kenyon C, McKenzie M, Williams N (2011) Late Quaternary fire regimes in Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews 30, 28–46.
| Late Quaternary fire regimes in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Orians GH, Milewski AV (2007) Ecology of Australia: the effects of nutrient-poor soils and intense fires. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 82, 393–423.
| Ecology of Australia: the effects of nutrient-poor soils and intense fires.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Robinson JM (1989) Phanerozoic O2 variation, fire, and terrestrial ecology. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 75, 223–240.
| Phanerozoic O2 variation, fire, and terrestrial ecology.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sluiter IR, Blackburn DT, Holdgate GR (2016) Fire and Late Oligocene to Mid-Miocene peat mega-swamps of south-eastern Australia: a floristic and palaeoclimatic interpretation. Australian Journal of Botany 64, 609–625.
| Fire and Late Oligocene to Mid-Miocene peat mega-swamps of south-eastern Australia: a floristic and palaeoclimatic interpretation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tappert R, McKellar RC, Wolfe AP, Tappert MC, Ortega-Blanco J, Muehlenbachs K (2013) Stable carbon isotopes of C3 plant resins and ambers record changes in atmospheric oxygen since the Triassic. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 121, 240–262.
| Stable carbon isotopes of C3 plant resins and ambers record changes in atmospheric oxygen since the Triassic.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3sXhsFequr%2FL&md5=430f27dcd9dd952d48cdaca598d5a6a4CAS |
Tng DYP, Williamson GJ, Jordan GJ, Bowman DMJS (2012) Giant eucalypts: globally unique fire-adapted rainforest trees? New Phytologist 196, 1001–1014.
| Giant eucalypts: globally unique fire-adapted rainforest trees?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tng DYP, Janos DP, Jordan GJ, Weber E, Bowman DMJS (2014) Phosphorus limits Eucalyptus grandis seedling growth in an unburnt rain forest soil. Frontiers in Plant Science 5, 527
| Phosphorus limits Eucalyptus grandis seedling growth in an unburnt rain forest soil.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Watson J, Alvin KL (1996) An English Wealden floral list, with comments on possible environmental indicators. Cretaceous Research 17, 5–26.
| An English Wealden floral list, with comments on possible environmental indicators.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
