Fire-Driven Biodiversity Dynamics in Mediterranean Climate Ecosystems

About this Research Topic

Background

Fire is a fundamental ecological force shaping biodiversity dynamics in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems. It influences species composition, community structure, and crucial ecosystem processes, thereby promoting the unique mosaic landscapes characteristic of these regions. Recent research has demonstrated how variations in fire intensity, frequency, and extent create landscapes with habitats at various successional stages, contributing to both short-term disturbance and long-term ecological resilience. However, natural fire regimes are increasingly disrupted by human activities such as fire suppression and land-use change, causing fuel accumulation and raising the risk of destructive, high-intensity wildfires. Moreover, climate change exacerbates these challenges, rendering Mediterranean regions more susceptible to frequent and severe fires. While some studies advocate for proactive management, such as prescribed burning, to mimic natural cycles and conserve biodiversity, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding fire’s complex ecological roles and its interaction with global change drivers.

This Research Topic aims to deepen scientific understanding of how fire—both as a renewing and threatening agent—affects the biodiversity and functioning of Mediterranean ecosystems. The main objective is to investigate fire’s influence not only at the level of species and communities, but also across broader ecological and temporal scales. We seek to highlight research that untangles the mechanisms driving fire-induced ecological adaptations, explores fire’s role in maintaining ecosystem processes and landscape patterns, and evaluates management strategies that ensure biodiversity conservation while reducing fire-associated risks.

To gather further insights into fire’s impact on Mediterranean biodiversity, this Research Topic will focus on studies specific to Mediterranean-type ecosystems and explicitly related to fire-biodiversity interactions. We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o The creation of heterogeneous landscapes; how fire of varying intensity, frequency, and extent leads to habitat mosaics at different successional stages

o Accelerated nutrient cycling and decomposition processes resulting from fire, and their significance for soil fertility and ecosystem productivity

o Changes in habitats and food availability for faunal communities, and the direct and indirect effects of fire on animal population dynamics

o The persistence of fire-resilient plant species, including mechanisms that prevent encroachment by less-adapted species

o Evolution of fire-adaptive plant traits, such as serotiny, resprouting, enhanced seed germination, and thickened bark

o The interplay between fire regimes and other global change drivers, such as climate warming, land-use change, and biological invasions

o Quantitative modeling of fire effects on biodiversity components across spatial and temporal scales

o Development, assessment, and innovation in fire management and conservation strategies to maintain ecological integrity

o Policy frameworks and landscape planning efforts designed to balance ecological benefits of fire while preventing catastrophic events and fostering biodiversity

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Fire, biodiversity, Mediterranean climate, species composition, ecosystem processes, community structure

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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