ABSTRACT
On a global scale, fire has a key ecological role in the establishment of several regions and ecosystems. It is a strong natural and evolutionary force that controls organism characteristics, population density, species interactions, community dynamics, nutrient cycles, and ecological functions. However, as a result of global climate and land-use changes, fire regimes have changed, increasing in intensity and extent, with an increased likelihood of such events occurring in the near future. Fires can affect the availability of water and nutrients in a forest ecosystem, promoting ecophysiological responses of plants in both the short and long terms. Assessing consequences of such events on forest ecophysiology presents a substantial challenge to the community due to their complex nature, which includes the fact that they are frequently unpredictable and may have effects that are drastically disproportionate to the duration of the stress. Globally, recent studies have made significant progress in our knowledge of the physiological mechanisms that occur in trees after fires and in understanding how fire injuries might affect these disturbances in different ecosystems. However, little emphasis has been placed on the physiological systems that drive plant responses to severe events in the tropical environment. Therefore, understanding how fires affect plants is essential for tropical ecosystems because: (1) such ecosystems have been impeded by anthropogenic fires for centuries; and (2) appropriate management of these ecosystems is necessary to save terrestrial biodiversity around the globe in order to cope up with the environmental changes. Thus, the aim of the chapter is to predict how plants will respond to fire damage by exploring fire-induced ecophysiological processes, the underlying mechanisms, and adaptation strategies. Understanding physiological plant responses is essential for more accurately assessing post-fire ecosystem dynamics and interactions with climatic perturbations, especially in light of anticipated increases in fire frequency and severity caused by climate change.
