Abstract
Abstract. A high-resolution, continuous 18.5 kyr (1 kyr = 1000 cal yr BP) macroscopic charcoal record from Qinghai Lake in southwestern Yunnan Province, China, reveals postglacial fire frequency and variability history. The results show that three periods with high-frequency and high-severity fires occurred during the periods 18.5–15.0, 13.0–11.5, and 4.3–0.8 ka, respectively. This record was compared with major pollen taxa and pollen diversity indices from the same core, and tentatively related to the regional climate proxy records with the aim to separate climate- from human-induced fire activity, and discuss vegetation–fire–climate interactions. The results suggest that fire was mainly controlled by climate before 4.3 ka and by the combined actions of climate and humans after 4.3 ka. Before 4.3 ka, high fire activity corresponded to cold and dry climatic conditions, while warm and humid climatic conditions brought infrequent and weak fires. Fire was an important disturbance factor and played an important role in forest dynamics around the study area. Vegetation responses to fire after 4.3 ka are not consistent with those before 4.3 ka, suggesting that human influence on vegetation and fire regimes may have become more prevalent after 4.3 ka. The comparisons between fire activity and vegetation reveal that evergreen oaks are flammable plants and fire-tolerant taxa. Alnus is a fire-adapted taxon and a nonflammable plant, but density of Alnus forest is a key factor to decide its fire resistance. The forests dominated by Lithocarpus/Castanopsis and/or tropical trees and shrubs are not easy to ignite, but Lithocarpus/Castanopsis and tropical trees and shrubs are fire-sensitive taxa. Fire appears to be unfavourable to plant diversity in the study area.
Highlights
Fire is a natural, recurring episodic event in almost all types of vegetation and is one of the primary natural disturbance factors in forest ecosystems (Harrison et al, 2010)
The macroscopic charcoal and fire activity records were divided into six zones (Fig. 2) based on their visual inspection and referring to palynological zonation boundaries in order to facilitate the comparison with major pollen taxa and previous vegetation reconstruction for the same core (Xiao et al, 2015)
The forests dominated by Lithocarpus/Castanopsis and/or tropical trees and shrubs are not easy to ignite because of their relatively low inflammability
Summary
Fire is a natural, recurring episodic event in almost all types of vegetation and is one of the primary natural disturbance factors in forest ecosystems (Harrison et al, 2010). It has a strong influence on the extent and diversity of forest resources, carbon cycles, and global climate change. In order to decrease the harm and losses, it seems necessary to prevent the occurrence of fires and suppress fires. In order to make a reasonable strategy for forest fire management for a region, we need to better understand effects of fire upon biodiversity in this region. Knowledge of past fire activity is a key to understanding the present day and for making sustainable management policies for forest ecosystems
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