The eco-evolutionary role of fire in shaping terrestrial ecosystems

1. Fire is an inherently evolutionary process, even though much more emphasis has been given to ecological responses of plants and their associated communities to fire. 2. Here, we synthesize contributions to a Special Feature entitled Fire as a dynamic ecological and evolutionary force' and place them in a broader context of fire research. Topics covered in this Special Feature include a perspective on the impacts of novel fire regimes on differential forest mortality, discussions on new approaches to investigate vegetation -fire feedbacks and resulting plant syndromes, synthesis of fire impacts on plant- fungal interactions, and a meta-analysis of arthropod community responses to fire. 3. We conclude by suggesting pathways forward to better understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of fire. These include developing ecological and evolutionary databases for fire ecology, integrating hierarchical genetic structure or phylogenetic structure, and developing new experimental frameworks that limit context-dependent outcomes.

Automated summary

Fire is a natural process that plays a significant role in ecological and evolutionary dynamics. This article synthesizes contributions to a Special Feature on fire as a dynamic force and provides a broader context for fire research. The topics covered include the impacts of novel fire regimes on forest mortality, vegetation-fire feedbacks and resulting plant syndromes, fire impacts on plant-fungal interactions, and arthropod community responses to fire. The article concludes by suggesting pathways to further understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of fire.