01684nas a2200229 4500008004100000245004100041210003700082260004600119300001300165520104300178653000901221100001601230700001601246700001901262700001701281700001601298700001801314700001901332700001601351700002101367856006601388 1989 eng d00aIs fire a disturbance in grasslands?0 afire a disturbance in grasslands aLincoln, NEbUniversity of Nebraska Press a159 -1613 a
Many grasslands, and in particular the tallgrass prairies of North America, are generally thought to be maintained by periodic fire. Semantic disagreement among researchers, however, threatens to hamper discussion of fire as an ecological force in grassland ecosystems. Some authors emphasize that fires are disturbances (or perturbations) since these fires disrupt or alter ecosystem states, trends and dynamics (e.g., accumulating nitrogen is volatilized, plant and animal communities change in composition). Other researchers point out that, because these fire-induced disruptions and alterations can maintain the status quo of the ecosystem (e.g., prevent it from becoming woodland), it is the lack of fire rather than fire itself that should be considered a disturbance. We argue that, since both points of view are useful, there is little to be gained by labeling loosely either fire or lack thereof as a "disturbance" in grassland ecosystems. Key Words: disturbance, fire, grasslands, perturbation, prairie, Kansas
10afire1 aEvans, E.W.1 aFinck, E.J.1 aBriggs, J., M.1 aGibson, D.J.1 aJames, S.W.1 aKaufman, D.W.1 aSeastedt, T.R.1 aBragg, T.B.1 aStubbendieck, J. uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/fire-disturbance-grasslands