Fire in South American Wetlands

Abstract

Fire in wetlands poses a considerable challenge to their biota. This chapter pres-ents data on some important South American wetlands with their different cli-matic patterns. Some are fire-dependent, others fire-independent. Fire incidencecan vary from 9 to 206 fires per km2, often at the end of the dry season. Theseasonally flooded grasslands are the most resistant, and the flooded forests of he Amazon River are the most sensitive to fire. The most floodable areas canhave intense fire events, forming corridors of fire and flooding along rivers. Firecan induce water repellency on wetland soils and produce ashes that modify theenvironment during the flood. Fire can change, smooth, or trigger vegetationresponses along the inundation gradient and promote the monodominance ofcertain species and vegetation openness. Megafires can produce high mortality inboth flora and fauna. Fire is used to promote the abundance of some plants thatserve as food, to make handicrafts, or even to improve the quality of native pas-tures. The regulation of Integrated Fire Management in wetlands is under discus-sion in South American countries. We understand that the research about fire intropical and subtropical wetlands has many gaps that can subside the regulation process.