Fire behavior indicators across plant communities: How Amygdalus scoparia acts as a context-dependent modulator in dryland ecosystems

Plant community composition and species functional features strongly influence fire behavior in arid and semi-arid habitats. This study investigated the function of Amygdalus scoparia in mitigating fire risk across five land cover types using five fire performance indices (fuel consumption, flammability, burning rate, ignition delay time, and fuel stability) and four diversity indicators. A. scoparia performed a variety of functional functions in plant communities, ranging from fire enhancer to strong buffer, according to the results of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and zoning of plant communities in the two-dimensional fire-stability. Bayesian network analysis revealed environmental factors influencing fire behavior. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA/ANCOVA) showed that the functional role of A. scoparia is strongly dependent on community composition indices and ecological after controlling main environmental drivers. Overall, this study demonstrates that integrating ecological diversity indicators at the community level with fire performance indices offers an analytical framework that goes beyond basic species classifications.