DOI: 10.5061/dryad.m41f1
title: Data from: Burn or rot: leaf traits explain why flammability and decomposability are decoupled across species

description: In fire-prone ecosystems, two important alternative fates for leaves are
 burning in a wildfire (when alive or as litter) or they get consumed (as
 litter) by decomposers. The influence of leaf traits on litter
 decomposition rate is reasonably well understood. In contrast, less is
 known about the influence of leaf traits on leaf and litter flammability.
 The aim of this study was twofold: (a) to determine which morphological
 and chemical leaf traits drive flammability; and (b) to determine if
 different (combinations of) morphological and chemical leaf traits drive
 interspecific variation in decomposition and litter flammability and, in
 turn, help us understand the relationship between decomposability and
 flammability. To explore the relationships between leaf traits and
 flammability of individual leaves, we used 32 evergreen perennial plant
 species from eastern Australia in standardised experimental burns on three
 types of leaf material (i.e. fresh, dried and senesced). Next, we compared
 these trait-flammability relationships to trait-decomposability
 relationships as obtained from a previous decomposition experiment
 (focusing on senesced leaves only). Among the three parameters of leaf
 flammability that we measured, interspecific variation in time to ignition
 was mainly explained by specific leaf area and moisture content. Flame
 duration and smoulder duration were mostly explained by leaf dry mass and
 to a lesser degree by leaf chemistry, i.e. nitrogen, phosphorus and tannin
 concentrations. The variation in the decomposition constant across species
 was unrelated to our measures of flammability. Moreover, different
 combinations of morphological and chemical leaf properties underpinned the
 interspecific variation in decomposability and flammability. In contrast
 to litter flammability, decomposability was driven by lignin and
 phosphorus concentrations. The decoupling of flammability and
 decomposability leads to three possible scenarios for species’ influence
 on litter fates: (I) fast-decomposing species for which flammability is
 irrelevant because there will not be enough litter to support a fire; (II)
 species with slow-decomposing leaves and a high flammability; and (III)
 species with slow-decomposing leaves and a low flammability. We see
 potential for making use of the decoupled trait – decomposition –
 flammability relationships when modelling carbon and nutrient fluxes.
 Including information on leaf traits in models can improve the prediction
 of fire behaviour. Herbivory is another key fate for leaves, but this
 study was focused on fire and decomposition.
description: Leaf and flammability
 traits (individual leaves)This data set contains
 the leaf traits and flammability parameters as measured on individual
 leaves. The first sheet displays the MEAN values per species, which were
 mainly used for the publication. The second sheet holds the RAW data and
 the third sheet holds the species list. Abbreviations are explained in the
 overview.Grootemaat
 2015_FE_Dryad.xlsx