California Wildfires are Causing Ecosystems to Change: Southern Plants Shift North

California wildfires are a major issue this year and now, researchers are taking a closer look at the swathe of devastation they leave behind. Scientists have now found that southern plant species are shifting northward due to the fires.

"The plants we're finding underneath our forests are becoming more like those seen in Mexico and Southern California," said Jens Stevens, lead author of the new study, in a news release. "Under climate change, we're seeing species from drier, warmer areas increasingly taking over. It's a long process, but forest disturbance, be it thinning or wildfire, has the potential to hasten those shifts."

In Northern California and Canada, forest floors are usually strewn with lupine and violets. However, these plants are quickly being replaced by flowers and shrubs more often seen in drier southern climates, such as Manzanita and monkey flower.

It's not surprising that these shifts are occurring. California is still the midst of a record-breaking drought. Because of this drought, wildfires are a continuous problem in the state. It's not surprising that ecosystems are changing along with the climate.

While there are certainly shifts occurring, though, there are pockets of cooler microclimates that remain in forests that were thinned before a wildfire occurred. These forests burned less hot and therefore left some tree canopy, allowing for both northern and southern plants species to coexist.

"A balance of open, intermediate and closed canopy across the landscape is good," said Stevens. "If you can increase microclimates, you can increase diversity."

The findings are published in the Journal of Ecology.

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