Ecosystem diversity in African savannas is fueled by pyrodiversity

Ecosystem diversity in African savannas is fueled by pyrodiversity | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Ecosystem diversity in African savannas is fueled by pyrodiversity Victor Fernandez-Garcia, Tercia Strydom, Dave Thompson, José Manuel Fernández-Guisuraga, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6856850/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Communications Earth & Environment → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract African savannas are experiencing a rapid decline in burned area, often entailing a simplification of landscape pyrodiversity. We used virtual landscapes generated from data collected in a multi-decadal fire experiment to test how pyrodiversity—measured as spatial variation in fire frequency—shapes multiple dimensions of three savannas spanning a rainfall gradient in South Africa. Results provide empirical evidence that pyrodiversity begets diversity across structural, functional, and taxonomic dimensions, especially at precipitation ≥650 mm yr⁻¹. The positive effects of pyrodiversity on ecosystem diversity stem from the differences across landscape patches with different fire frequencies. Critically, the highest woody encroachment, carbon storage, soil nitrogen and woody species diversity was found in low fire frequency patches. On the contrary, the most diverse ground vegetation communities were detected in frequently burned patches. Our findings emphasize the importance of pyrodiversity-based management for maintaining ecosystem diversity and associated services in the face of ongoing environmental changes. Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Fire ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant ecology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterial.pdf Supplementary figures and tables Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Communications Earth & Environment → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6856850","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":468935789,"identity":"1e7deb78-a36a-4743-a586-72dd774f6293","order_by":0,"name":"Victor 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