Re: Fire shapes global vegetation

From: Mario Petrinovich (mario.petrinovic1_at_zg.htnet.hr)
Date: 01/30/05 

Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 07:52:07 +0100

<mark@spiznet.com>:
> Mario-
>
> Two questions in one day. Must be dull over at MV's Yahooville.

        It's not that. I had a flu. And I was in a state where I wasn't very
concious. This is the state when I get my best ideas from (if you know what
I mean, ; )). So, I came here to present them. I am still not completly
healed, lol.

> OK explain the existence of the "Great Plains" in America. Nothing to
> do with hominids pre 50K (unless they were all from Atlantis &
> underwater). -mark

        When I am talking about this, I like to refer to paper by Fox & Koch
"Tertiary history of C4 biomass in the Great Plains, USA" (Sep 2003.). In
that paper they are explaining how changes to ecology that happened, weren't
global, but local. Hence, weren't induced by global falling levels of CO2
(as usually thought). It is interesting that they are using paleosamples
from Great Plains. It is downloadable from the Internet, but if you have
trouble to find it, I'll be more than glad to provide it to you.
        I see you are like under the impression that Great plains resamble
Savanna, or something. You know, grasses and stuff. Well, how come you don't
have (American) grasseating animals, with all that grass, there. Nor
grasseater predators. In South America I've even found some birds that like
to nest on a tree that is out in the open. Why? Because SA predators don't
like open ground, so birds are safer there.
        IOW, in America happened the exact thing that happened wherever
people came. Massive changing of environment, induced by massive burning
made by humans. With the change of environment came massive extinctions,
because animals simply aren't adapted for that kind of environment. -- Mario

> Mario Petrinovich:
>> www.nature.com/news/2005/050124/full/050124-16.html
>> "For example, a type of grassland consisting of warmth-loving
>> plants
>> appeared in the tropics between 6 million and 8 million years ago,
>> and
>> quickly spread around the globe. This study suggests that the
>> grassland's
>> spread was primarily influenced by fire, says Bond, although it is
>> not known why there were more fires at that time."
>>
>> Of course, around that time, a bipedal creature that feeds on
>> burned meat, emerged. -- Mario

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