The Integration of Fire Ecology and Freshwater Ecosystems in North America: Knowledge Gaps and Research Needs

Abstract

Wildfires, unplanned fires that start and spread under the influence of weather and fuel composition, are increasing in frequency, duration, and severity across North America. While wildfires are one component of wildland fire, a broader natural process in many ecosystems, their changing behavior poses growing ecological and management challenges. Although wildfire is widely recognized as an important disturbance, empirical research quantifying its impacts on freshwater ecosystems remains limited and fragmented. As a result, our understanding of how wildfire affects imperiled freshwater systems remains underdeveloped. The objective of this review was to synthesize the existing empirical literature and identify key knowledge gaps to guide future research on wildfire–freshwater interactions across both biotic and abiotic components. At the biological scale, uncertainties remain around species‐ and community‐level responses (e.g., direct and indirect effects on biota). Freshwater habitat dimensions should also be the focus of further research, including alterations to physical structure (e.g., vegetation) and physicochemical conditions (e.g., temperature). From a management perspective, critical questions relate to fire‐informed restoration (e.g., specialized techniques, role of managed burns) and strategies for enhancing ecosystem resilience (e.g., identifying relevant indicators, links to watershed health). Understanding how land‐use change (e.g., forestry) and climate change interact to influence wildfire regimes and generate cumulative effects across landscapes is also essential in this new wildfire reality. To advance research and practice, we recommend comprehensive monitoring, standardization of methods and indicators, recognition of the role of cultural and prescribed burns, meaningful knowledge co‐production, and bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and management action.

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