Mesophication of Oak Landscapes: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Future Research

Author:

Alexander Heather D1ORCID,Siegert Courtney2,Brewer J Stephen3,Kreye Jesse4,Lashley Marcus A5,McDaniel Jennifer K6,Paulson Alison K7ORCID,Renninger Heidi J1,Varner J Morgan8

Affiliation:

1. Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States

2. Department of Forestry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, United States

3. University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, United States

4. Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

5. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States

6. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, Untied States

7. Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States

8. Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, Florida, United States

Abstract

Abstract Pyrophytic oak landscapes across the central and eastern United States are losing dominance as shade-tolerant, fire-sensitive, or opportunistic tree species encroach into these ecosystems in the absence of periodic, low-intensity surface fires. Mesophication, a hypothesized process initiated by intentional fire exclusion by which these encroaching species progressively create conditions favorable for their own persistence at the expense of pyrophytic species, is commonly cited as causing this structural and compositional transition. However, many questions remain regarding mesophication and its role in declining oak dominance. In the present article, we review support and key knowledge gaps for the mesophication hypothesis. We then pose avenues for future research that consider which tree species and tree traits create self-perpetuating conditions and under what conditions tree-level processes might affect forest flammability at broader scales. Our goal is to promote research that can better inform restoration and conservation of oak ecosystems experiencing structural and compositional shifts across the region.

Funder

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Subject

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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