Effect of fire on the palatability of plants in an African woodland savanna: varying impacts depending on plant functional groups

Fire and herbivores are two important drivers of changes in vegetation composition, quality and dynamics and both are highly related to each other. Herbivores are known to respond to fire both in terms of foraging decisions and distribution. However, little is known about the actual changes in plant chemistry following a fire event and how long these changes will last. We investigated the effect of fire on two different plant functional groups (grasses and woody species) in a woodland savanna of southern Africa. We studied chemical compounds known to be important for palatability of five perennial grass and seven woody species (trees and shrubs) common in the woodland savanna and known to be utilized by herbivores. We wanted to know if plant chemistry differs between a recently burned site (burned 2 years ago) and a control site, burned 16 years ago, and if grasses and woody species show similar relative differences between sites (i.e., the plants' response to fire). We found a clear difference in chemical composition patterns between the plant functional groups, with an almost homogenous response to fire among woody species, but higher variability in response among grass species. Furthermore, we found that woody species maintained a higher nutritional value even 2 years after burning, whereas grasses did not show clear differences among the two investigated sites. Hence, few years after burning, woody plants might still serve as an attraction for herbivores, especially browsers, in contrast to grasses. The knowledge about these differences between the two functional groups in response to fire is beneficial for the development of management strategies for large herbivores whether domestic or wild

The effect of fire history on soil nutrients and soil organic carbon in a semi-arid savanna woodland, central Namibia

Fire is an integral part of savanna ecosystems that has shaped these systems since the Miocene. Substantial uncertainty about fire effects in semi-arid ecosystems exists. Fire may affect ecosystem productivity directly through nutrient volatilisation, increased mineralisation and altering organic matter quantity, and indirectly through altering vegetation structure. We explored the effects of fire history and vegetation patch types (tree canopy vs inter-canopy) on soil nutrients and soil organic carbon (SOC) in a semi-arid ecosystem. We collected soil samplesalong transects in four treatments with different fire histories (1 to 24 years since the last burn). In the statistical analyses, tree canopy and inter-canopy samples along transects were differentiated. Fire showed an inconsistent effect on soil nutrients and SOC. There was a short-term negative influence on total nitrogen, whereas phosphorus, potassium and magnesium increased in the 1-year treatment. Sodium consistently decreased with increasing time since the last burn, whereas SOC and calcium were not affected. Calcium and magnesium were significantly higher under canopy relative to inter-canopy patches. There was no significant interactive effect between fire history and vegetation patch type on soil nutrients and SOC. Management decisions regarding fire within the frequencyexperienced in this system appear not to necessitate concern regarding soil resource impacts.Keywords: cations, fire intervals, fire treatment, sandy soils, time since last burn, vegetation patch type