Editorial: Fire effects on native plant species diversity: patterns and mechanisms

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Abstract
Wildfire plays a key role in maintaining and enhancing biodiversity in ecosystems worldwide (Keeley and Pausas, 2022). Post-fire vegetation patterns typically feature the resprouting of fire-tolerant species and the widespread recruitment of fire-ephemeral plants (Ghermandi et al., 2004). The release of resources such as space and light following fire promote vegetation resprouting and seed germination (He et al., 2019) Moreover, fire-related cues, such as heat and smoke can stimulate germination from the soil seed bank, thereby promoting plant diversity (Moreira et al., 2010;Keeley and Pausas, 2018). Understanding the mechanisms behind these post-fire diversity patterns is essential for improving conservation, restoration, and sustainable land management. This Research Topic comprises studies that identify post-fire patterns that enhance the native plant diversity and the mechanisms that explain these patterns. It addresses how fire affects plant diversity across multiple ecological scales, from vegetation recovery at community level to the ecological mechanisms that determine species persistence and regeneration. The collection includes six articles by 30 authors, providing a comprehensive overview of current advances in this field. Several contributions were conducted in Mediterranean type-climate ecosystems, including northwestern Patagonia in Argentina, central Chile, southern California, and the sub-Mediterranean region of southwestern Slovenia. These ecosystems are strongly shaped by fire and are experiencing increasing wildfire frequency and intensity under ongoing climate change, highlighting the importance of understanding how native plant communities and species respond to changing fire regimes (Keeley et al., 2012).Two studies focused on vegetation response to fire. At the community level, the study by Carni et al. documented post-fire succession in sub-mediterranean forest vegetation on the Kras Plateau in southwestern Slovenia over a three-year period. Because fire has historically been uncommon in this region, the vegetation is considered poorly adapted to this disturbance. Despite this, the authors found that the community showed high resilience to wildfire, characterized by early dominance of ephemeral and ruderal species, which rapidly declined as the abundance of resprouting species increased. This study highlighted that enhanced autogenic succession, combined with favorable postfire moisture conditions, can facilitate rapid ecosystem recovery, potentially reducing the risk of long-term degradation or the establishment of persistent post-fire shrublands.

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