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Spatial gradients of response to the indirect effects of forest fires on vegetation in the Pantanal
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DOI：10.1080/01431161.2026.2697509.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Forest Fires alter vegetation structure, photosynthetic activity, and regeneration dynamics. However, the thermal effects on nearby unburned vegetation remain poorly understood. Heat radiation generated during fires spreads in all directions and may cause dehydration, physiological stress, and foliar damage in surrounding plant communities. In the Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands on Earth and an ecosystem naturally poorly adapted to fire, these indirect impacts have received little scientific attention. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify and delineate the spatial gradient of the indirect impacts of Forest Fires on adjacent unburned vegetation, using NDVI as an indicator of changes in photosynthetic vigour between 1985 and 2022. A database integrating vegetation indices, burned areas, and land use and land cover information was assembled. Burn scars mapped by MapBiomas were surrounded by concentric buffer zones ranging from 50 to 250 metres to evaluate NDVI variation before and after fire events. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests combined with K-means clustering were applied to identify spatial and ecological response patterns among vegetation types. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were detected up to 100 metres beyond burn scars, indicating measurable indirect fire effects. Forest and wetlands showed greater resilience while grassland formations exhibited slower recovery overall.
Keywords:
Wildfire
remote sensing
ecological resilience
vegetation vulnerability
ecological restoration
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