Alternative Biome States in Terrestrial Ecosystems
Abstract
There is growing interest in the application of alternative stable state (ASS) theory to explain major vegetation patterns of the world. Here, we introduce the theory as applied to the puzzle of nonforested (open) biomes growing in climates that are warm and wet enough to support forests (alternative biome states, ABSs). Long thought to be the product of deforestation, diverse lines of evidence indicate that many open ecosystems are ancient. They have also been characterized as 'early successional' even where they persist for millennia. ABS is an alternative framework to that of climate determinism and succession for exploring forest/nonforest mosaics. This framework explains not only tropical forest-savanna landscapes, but also other landscape mosaics across the globe.
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Burning shifts the ecosystem to a more flammable, non-forest state, which is perpetuated through a positive feedback with fire.
“Burning then shifts the ecosystem to a more flammable, non-forest state (Pausas & Bond, 2020), which is perpetuated through a positive feedback with fire (Paritsis, Veblen, & Holz, 2015;Tepley, Veblen, Perry, Stewart, & Naficy, 2016).”
From Fire as a fundamental ecological process: Research advances and frontiers (2020) · cites this paper as Pausas & Bond, 2020
Cites
Allen, C. D., Macalady, A. K., Chenchouni, H., Bachelet, D., McDowell, N., Vennetier, M., Kitzberger, T., Rigling, A., Breshears, D. D., Hogg, E. H. (., et al. (2010) · Forest Ecology and Management · doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.001 · Cited by 7,763 · see citing works
The global distribution of ecosystems in a world without fire
Bond, W. J., Woodward, F. I., & Midgley, G. F. (2005) · New Phytologist · doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2004.01252.x · Cited by 1,942 · see citing works
Self-citationA Burning Story: The Role of Fire in the History of Life
Pausas, J. G., & Keeley, J. E. (2009) · BioScience · doi:10.1525/bio.2009.59.7.10 · Cited by 1,226 · see citing works
Self-citationWhat Limits Trees in C<sub>4</sub> Grasslands and Savannas?
Bond, W. J. (2008) · Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics · doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173411 · Cited by 909 · see citing works
Self-citationTropical grassy biomes: misunderstood, neglected, and under threat
Parr, C. L., Lehmann, C. E. R., Bond, W. J., Hoffmann, W. A., & Andersen, A. N. (2014) · Trends in Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.tree.2014.02.004 · Cited by 603 · see citing works
Self-citationPleistocene Megafaunal Collapse, Novel Plant Communities, and Enhanced Fire Regimes in North America
Gill, J. L., Williams, J. W., Jackson, S. T., Lininger, K. B., & Robinson, G. S. (2009) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1179504 · Cited by 598 · see citing works
Fire in Mediterranean Ecosystems: Ecology, Evolution and Management
Keeley, J. E., Bond, W. J., Bradstock, R. A., Pausas, J. G., & Rundel, P. W. (2011) · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139033091 · Cited by 479 · see citing works
Self-citationWolf reintroduction, predation risk, and cottonwood recovery in Yellowstone National Park
Ripple, W. J., & Beschta, R. L. (2003) · Forest Ecology and Management · doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(03)00154-3 · Cited by 395 · see citing works
Large-scale impacts of herbivores on the structural diversity of African savannas
Asner, G. P., Levick, S. R., Kennedy-Bowdoin, T., Knapp, D. E., Emerson, R., Jacobson, J., Colgan, M. S., & Martin, R. E. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0810637106 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
Towards an understanding of the evolutionary role of fire in animals
Pausas, J. G., & Parr, C. L. (2018) · Evolutionary Ecology · doi:10.1007/s10682-018-9927-6 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
Self-citationFire drives functional thresholds on the savanna–forest transition
de L. Dantas, V., Batalha, M. A., & Pausas, J. G. (2013) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/12-1629.1 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Self-citationManaged wildfire effects on forest resilience and water in the Sierra Nevada
Boisramé, G., Thompson, S., Collins, B., & Stephens, S. (2017) · Ecosystems · doi:10.1007/s10021-016-0048-1 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
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Fire as a fundamental ecological process: Research advances and frontiers
McLauchlan, K. K., Higuera, P. E., Miesel, J., Rogers, B. M., Schweitzer, J., Shuman, J. K., Tepley, A. J., Varner, J. M., Veblen, T. T., Adalsteinsson, S. A., et al. (2020) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13403 · Cited by 729 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Pausas, J. G., & Bond, W. J.
- Affiliations
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- Corresponding author
- Pausas, Juli G.
- Venue
- Trends in Plant Science
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-03
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 250-263
- ISSN
- 1360-1385 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2998387399
- Cited by
- 252
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 32 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 27
- FWCI
- 1.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Plant Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- FILAS (CGL2015-64086-P)
- FIROTIC (PGC2018-096569-B-I00)
- FOCSEC (PROMETEO/2016/021)
- Generalitat Valenciana
- Andrew Mellon Foundation
- National Research Foundation
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Keywords
- alternative stable states, climate determinism, vegetation patterns, deforestation
- MeSH terms
- Climate, Conservation of Natural Resources, Trees, Ecosystem, Forests
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