Risk and resilience: a review of functional traits influencing fire vulnerability in Pantanal mammals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37002/biodiversidadebrasileira.v14i4.2565Palavras-chave:
Brazilian Pantanal , fauna, fire-vulnerability, functional traits, wildfireResumo
In 2020, the Brazilian Pantanal experienced unprecedented wildfires that burned approximately 40,000 km² and resulted in the death of an estimated 17 million vertebrates. This catastrophic event, characterized by an extreme fire behavior and large extension facilitated by a combination of accumulated organic matter and a prolonged drought, has highlighted both the acute vulnerability of the Pantanal's ecosystem to seasonal wildfires and the need for a comprehensive understanding of their potential effects on species and ecosystem dynamics. This study explores the vulnerability of mammals to wildfires in the Pantanal, focusing on the analysis of fire vulnerability traits and the spatial distribution of species. We reviewed a total of 2,868 studies published since 1938, focused on the physical attributes, behavioral patterns, and ecological dynamics of five mammalian orders: Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Didelphimorphia, Rodentia, and Perissodactyla. The analysis revealed a significant increase in research on fire vulnerability traits, particularly in carnivores, since the year 2000. The most studied traits include habitat preference, body size, and diet, while other critical traits for understanding fire sensitivity received less attention, such as reproductive season, mobility, social behavior and body size. Our findings highlight a marked seasonality in fire regimes and habitat specialization among the Pantanal's mammal species, with a concerning overlap between the 2019-2020 wildfires and the distribution of several species, suggesting potential severe declines in the abundance and distribution. These findings advocate for immediate conservation efforts targeting key habitats and refined wildfire management approaches to mitigate impacts, particularly on geographically restricted species. It also calls for a more balanced research focus across different taxa and traits to fully understand the ecological roles and vulnerabilities of less-studied species in the face of increasing fire frequencies and intensities in the Pantanal biome.
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