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Interactions of Anthropogenic Activities, Fire, and Rain Forests in the Amazon Basin

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Fire in the Tropical Biota

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 84))

Abstract

Evidence from soil charcoal studies indicates that fires have occurred since the Holocene in both Amazonian tropical rain forests (Saldarriaga and West 1986; Sanford et al. 1985) and Asian rain forests (Goldammer and Seibert 1989). However, it is likely that fire was an extremely rare event, because fire return intervals are many centuries in duration. The rarity of fire in this ecosystem is also reflected by the few apparent evolutionary relationships between rain forest vegetation and fire (i.e., the contribution of fire in shaping the structure and function of this ecosystem is not yet clear).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rangeland Resources, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA

    J. B. Kauffman

  2. Biology Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA

    C. Uhl

Authors
  1. J. B. Kauffman
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  2. C. Uhl
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fire Ecology and Fire Management Research Unit Institute of Forest Zoology, University of Freiburg, Bertoldstraße 17, 7800, Freiburg, Germany

    Johann Georg Goldammer

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Kauffman, J.B., Uhl, C. (1990). Interactions of Anthropogenic Activities, Fire, and Rain Forests in the Amazon Basin. In: Goldammer, J.G. (eds) Fire in the Tropical Biota. Ecological Studies, vol 84. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75395-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75395-4_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-75397-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-75395-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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