Fire drives abandoned pastures to a savanna-like state in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

摘要: Abstract Most tropical forests are threatened by a myriad of human-induced disturbances, associated with land use changes, altered fire regimes and direct deforestation. The combined effect multiple disturbances can shift towards new, resilient state that is qualitatively distinct in structure, species composition function. We found abandoned pastures affected fires the Brazilian Atlantic forest showed similarity terms vegetation structure plant functional traits to savanna-like ecosystem. Burned communities exhibited more C4 grass cover, higher proportion resprouts lower canopy cover as compared old-growth forest. Moreover, 79% woody at burned sites generalists widespread distribution, which includes cerrado (Brazilian savanna). Woody was strikingly different from forests, since were dominated Moquiniastrum polymorphum (Less.) G. Sancho (Asteraceae), fire-resistant ruderal behavior absent forests. results observed this study provide biological evidence for an arrested succession establishment ecosystem alternative stable state. These findings reinforce notion (e.g., state) hypothesis Forest should be considered, especially under current climate change scenarios.