Non-additive effects on plant mixtures flammability in a tropical mountain ecosystem

Helena Roland; Ilaíne Silveira Matos; Bruno H. P. Rosado; Imma Oliveras Menor

doi:10.1071/WF24168

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Non-additive effects on plant mixtures flammability in a tropical mountain ecosystem

Helena Roland

^A ^E ^* , Ilaíne Silveira Matos ^B ^C , Bruno H. P. Rosado ^D and Imma Oliveras Menor ^E ^F

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A National School of Tropical Botany, Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute, R. Pacheco Leão, 2040 Horto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22470-180, Brazil.

^B Macrosystems Ecology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, 54 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA.

^C The University of Adelaide, School of Biological Sciences, 101 Benham Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.

^D Department of Ecology, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes (IBRAG), State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), R. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Pavilhão Haroldo Lisboa da Cunha (PHLC), Sala 220, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550900, Brazil.

^E AMAP (botanique et Modélisation de l’Architeture des Plantes et des Vegétations), University De Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montepellier, Cedex 5, France.

^F Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OXI 3QY, UK.

^* Correspondence to: helena.lima.aluno@jbrj.gov.br

International Journal of Wildland Fire 34, WF24168 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF24168

Submitted: 8 October 2024 Accepted: 13 April 2025 Published: 1 May 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Brazil, campos de altitude, climate change, consumability, ecosystem process, fire management, fire regimes, fire severity, species interactions, trait-based ecology.

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