Editorial: Fire regimes in desert ecosystems: Drivers, impacts and changes

Abstract

Although not commonly associated with fire, many desert ecosystems across the globe do occasionally burn, and there is evidence that fire incidences are increasing, leading to altered fire regimes in this biome. The increased prevalence of megafires (wildfires >10,000 ha in size) in most global biomes is linked to climate change (Linley et al. 2022), although those occurring in arid regions have received far less attention. Understanding the drivers of desert fires, from climate to landscape patterns of hydrology and soil, and how these may be changing in the face of anthropogenic pressures, such as invasive species, livestock grazing, and global climate change, is imperative. This Research Topic has published nine papers addressing these drivers, how they have changed, and their impacts on desert biodiversity. The various papers in this Research Topic have demonstrated that shifting fire drivers are leading to 96 altered fire regimes in many desert ecosystems, and that we need to be particularly concerned with 97 synergistic effects of these drivers, such as climate changes interacting with invasive grasses to 98 produce more frequent, hotter, and larger wildfires. The impending threats of changing fire regimes 99 on biodiversity requires an enhanced research agenda, particularly in desert regions outside of 100 southwestern USA and inland Australia (where all the studies in this RT were based). 101