Fire proneness of Mediterranean pyroregions is positively linked to tree functional traits indicative of fire-modulated responses

Fire is a natural phenomenon that modulates form, function, diversity and distribution of plant species affecting ecosystem dynamics. Global warming and land use change are altering fire regimens potentially threating ecosystem functioning and species persistence. However, pyrogeographical studies aiming to understand differences across fire regimens are usually not considering the role played of plant functional traits. Here, based on a recent pyroregionalization in Italy and using species distribution data from the Italian National Forest Inventory and trait values from public databases we assessed if: 1) species distribution across different pyroregions is affected by fire regime, 2) species in different pyroregions exhibit distinct fire-related trait values, and, if so, 3) trait differences suggest better abilities to cope with fire in species distributed in more fire-prone regions (e.g. thicker bark). Our results tend to positively answer our questions suggesting the necessity of including fire-related traits when studying pyroregions. Noticeably, our study showed that the most fire-prone pyroregions collapse into one region from a functional perspective, with species characterized by highly similar trait values and indicative of fire adaptations.