Register      Login
International Journal of Wildland Fire International Journal of Wildland Fire Society
Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Homage to L. M. Coutinho: fire adaptations in cerrado plants

Juli G. Pausas
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

CIDE-CSIC, Carretera de Naquera Km. 4.5, 46113 Montcada, Valencia, Spain. Email: juli.g.pausas@uv.es

International Journal of Wildland Fire 26(3) 249-251 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF17017
Submitted: 2 February 2017  Accepted: 4 February 2017   Published: 27 February 2017

Abstract

Professor Coutinho (1934–2016; Sao Paulo, Brazil) studied fire adaptations in Brazilian savannas during the 1970s, when very few researchers recognised fire as an evolutionary force. His main contributions were on fire-stimulated flowering, serotiny and nutrient cycling. However, he is little known, partly because he was not Anglo-Saxon but also because he was ahead of his time, when fire and evolution were still distant concepts.


References

Amano T, González-Varo JP, Sutherland WJ (2016) Languages are still a major barrier to global science. PLoS Biology 14, e2000933
Languages are still a major barrier to global science.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Axelrod DI (1973) History of the Mediterranean ecosystem in California. In ‘Mediterranean ecosystems: origin and structure.’ (Eds F di Castri, HA Mooney) pp. 225–277. (Springer-Verlag: New York, NY)

Axelrod DI (1989) Age and origin of chaparral. In ‘The California chaparral: paradigms reexamined.’ (Ed. SC Keeley) Vol. Science Series No. 34, pp. 7–19. (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, CA)

Coutinho LM (1976) Contribuição ao conhecimento do papel ecológico das queímadas na floraçao de especies do Cerrado. Tese de Livre Docência, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Coutinho LM (1977) Aspectos ecológicos do fogo no cerrado: II. As queimadas ea dispersao de sementes Boletim de Botanica 5, 57–64.

Coutinho LM (1978) Aspectos ecológicos do fogo no cerrado: I. A temperatura do solo durante as queimadas. Revista Brasileira de Botanica. Brazilian Journal of Botany 1, 93–96.

Coutinho LM (1979) Aspectos ecológicos do fogo no cerrado: III. A precipitação atmosférica de nutrientes minerais. Revista Brasileira de Botanica. Brazilian Journal of Botany 2, 97–101.

Coutinho LM (1981) Aspectos ecológicos do fogo no Cerrado. Nota sobre a ocorrência e datação de carvões encontrados no interior de solo sob Cerrado. Revista Brasileira de Botanica. Brazilian Journal of Botany 4, 115–117.

Coutinho LM (1982) Ecological effects of fire in Brazilian cerrado. In ‘Ecology of tropical savannas.’ (Ed. GJ Huntley) pp. 273–291. (Springer: Heidelberg, Germany)

Coutinho LM (1990) Fire in the ecology of the Brazilian cerrado. In ‘Fire in the tropical biota.’ (Ed. J Goldammer) Vol. 84 pp. 82–105. (Springer: Berlin)

Coutinho LM (2016) ‘Biomas brasileiros.’ (Oficina de Textos: Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Coutinho L, Jurkevics I (1978) Aspectos ecológicos do fogo no cerrado: V. O efeito de altas temperaturas na germinação de uma espécie de Mimosa. Ciencia e Cultura 30, 420

Coutinho LM, De Vuono YS, Lousa J (1982) Aspectos ecológicos do fogo no cerrado: IV. A época da queimada e a produtividade primária líquida epigéia do estrato herbáceo subarbustivo. Revista Brasileira de Botanica. Brazilian Journal of Botany 5, 37–41.

Dantas VL, Pausas JG (2013) The lanky and the corky: fire-escape strategies in savanna woody species. Journal of Ecology 101, 1265–1272.
The lanky and the corky: fire-escape strategies in savanna woody species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Dantas VL, Hirota M, Oliveira RS, Pausas JG (2016) Disturbance maintains alternative biome states. Ecology Letters 19, 12–19.
Disturbance maintains alternative biome states.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Eiten G (1972) The cerrado vegetation of Brazil. Botanical Review 38, 201–341.
The cerrado vegetation of Brazil.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

He T, Pausas JG, Belcher CM, Schwilk DW, Lamont BB (2012) Fire-adapted traits of Pinus arose in the fiery Cretaceous. New Phytologist 194, 751–759.
Fire-adapted traits of Pinus arose in the fiery 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=e53653ad1913b48062a8f165792fe984CAS |

Keeley JE, Bond WJ, Bradstock RA, Pausas JG, Rundel PW (2012) ‘Fire in Mediterranean ecosystems: ecology, evolution and management.’ (Cambridge University Press: New York)

Lamont BB, Downes KS (2011) Fire-stimulated flowering among resprouters and geophytes in Australia and South Africa. Plant Ecology 212, 2111–2125.
Fire-stimulated flowering among resprouters and geophytes in Australia and South Africa.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Lamont BB, Le Maitre DC, Cowling RM, Enright NJ (1991) Canopy seed storage in woody plants. Botanical Review 57, 277–317.
Canopy seed storage in woody plants.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Maurin O, Davies TJ, Burrows JE, Daru BH, Yessoufou K, Muasya AM, van der Bank M, Bond WJ (2014) Savanna fire and the origins of the ‘underground forests’ of Africa. New Phytologist 204, 201–214.
Savanna fire and the origins of the ‘underground forests’ of Africa.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Mutch RW (1970) Wildland fires and ecosystems - a hypothesis. Ecology 51, 1046–1051.
Wildland fires and ecosystems - a hypothesis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Pausas JG (2015a) Evolutionary fire ecology: lessons learned from pines. Trends in Plant Science 20, 318–324.
Evolutionary fire ecology: lessons learned from pines.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC2MXksF2mtr0%3D&md5=ddb13970849e5fdff5d2a5a4451a0f31CAS |

Pausas JG (2015b) Bark thickness and fire regime. Functional Ecology 29, 315–327.
Bark thickness and fire regime.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Pausas JG (2017) Bark thickness and fire regime: another twist. New Phytologist 213, 13–15.
Bark thickness and fire regime: another twist.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Pausas JG, Schwilk D (2012) Fire and plant evolution. New Phytologist 193, 301–303.
Fire and plant evolution.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Pivello VR, Coutinho LM (1992) Transfer of macro-nutrients to the atmosphere during experimental burnings in an open cerrado (Brazilian savanna). Journal of Tropical Ecology 8, 487–497.
Transfer of macro-nutrients to the atmosphere during experimental burnings in an open cerrado (Brazilian savanna).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Ramos DM, Liaffa ABS, Diniz P, Munhoz CBR, Ooi MKJ, Borghetti F, Valls JFM (2016) Seed tolerance to heating is better predicted by seed dormancy than by habitat type in neotropical savanna grasses. International Journal of Wildland Fire 25, 1273–1280.
Seed tolerance to heating is better predicted by seed dormancy than by habitat type in neotropical savanna grasses.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Raven PH, Axelrod DI (1978) ‘Origin and relationships of the California flora.’ (University of California Press: Berkeley, CA)

Ribeiro LC, Pedrosa M, Borghetti F (2013) Heat shock effects on seed germination of five Brazilian savanna species. Plant Biology 15, 152–157.
Heat shock effects on seed germination of five Brazilian savanna species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BC38npsVKrsg%3D%3D&md5=ee12d897bcaa384a1c5e19fbb505f2deCAS |

Simon M, Grether R, De Queiroz L, Skema C, Pennington R, Hughes C (2009) Recent assembly of the Cerrado, a neotropical plant diversity hotspot, by in situ evolution of adaptations to fire. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106, 20359–20364.
Recent assembly of the Cerrado, a neotropical plant diversity hotspot, by in situ evolution of adaptations to fire.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3cXjtFSqtQ%3D%3D&md5=93f38aafc480523ee4edf37385756109CAS |

Warming E (1893) Lagoa Santa: étude de géographie botanique. Revue Générale de Botanique 5, 209–233.

Wells PV (1969) The relation between mode of reproduction and extent of speciation in woody genera of the California chaparral. Evolution 23, 264–267.
The relation between mode of reproduction and extent of speciation in woody genera of the California chaparral.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |