Mortality of Burned Cereus Giganteus

Rogers, Garry F.

doi:10.2307/1940414

Cited by 30 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…The number of recruitment pulses indicates the number of fire events during the last 30 years or so, and the sizes of the Puya rosettes can indicates when these fires happened (if the growth rate of Puya is known for the species in that place). Gatsuk et al 1980, Rogers 1985, Fenner & Thompson 2005, Doak & Morris 2010. Only one large plant died in this period of time, mostly likely due to damage by a spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) which inhabit the páramos and are probably are the only predators of Puya capable of dealing with the spiny leaves to reach sugar rich tissues in the centre of the plant (Kattan et al 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Puya Hamata Demography as an Indicator of Recent Fire History in the Páramo of El Ángel and Volcán Chiles, Ecuador-Colombia

García-Meneses¹,

Ramsay²

2014

Caldasia

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High-altitude páramo grasslands are important for their biodiversity and the ecosystem services that they provide to Andean people, but they are sensitive to disturbances, such as fire. Understanding the ecological impacts of disturbance is critical for the effective management of páramos. Indicator species studies can provide a relatively efficient way to gain such understanding. Puya hamata is a flagship giant rosette plant and has potential as an indicator of recent páramo fire history. To determine population size structure, mortality, recruitment and growth rates of Puya hamata rosettes, all Puya plants in 400 m 2 plots were surveyed in 2008 and again one year later. Sixteen plots were recorded in both years, containing exactly 1000 plants. Mortality was very low during this period (0.6%). Only 27 new plants were recruited. Three different size distribution patterns were observed in the plots: (1) low plant numbers across all size ranges; (2) a single dominant peak in numbers at a particular size; (3) two dominant peaks in numbers at distinct sizes. Estimated life span of Puya hamata was 28 years based on growth rates, and growth rate declined beyond the size at which most rosettes reproduce. To investigate the impact of different fire intensities on Puya hamata mortality, 400 m 2 plots within a mosaic of unburned and burned patches of different fire intensities were surveyed one month after the fire. Fire mortality was low in the medium and high intensity plots, and fires selectively killed smaller plants rather than larger ones. No mortality was observed in the unburned and low intensity fire plots. It is proposed that Puya responds to burning with pulses of seedling recruitment during periods of open vegetation after fires and very little recruitment at other times. Therefore, surveys of Puya plants can reveal past fire events in their population size structure. The combination of sensitivity to fire at recruitment, low fire mortality rates afterwards, and a 28-year lifespan makes Puya hamata an ideal indicator species of recent fire history in páramos.Key words. Bromeliaceae, burning, Ecuador, giant puya, mortality, páramo, population dynamics, seedling recruitment, semelparity.Puya hamata demography and páramo fire history 54 RESUMEN Los páramos son importantes por su biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos que proporcionan a los pueblos andinos, pero son sensibles a los disturbios como las quemas. El entendimiento de los impactos ecológicos de los disturbios es crucial pare al manejo efectivo de los páramos. El estudio de especies indicadoras puede contribuir de manera eficiente a este entendimiento. Puya hamata es una roseta gigante, considerada como especie bandera que tiene el potencial de actuar como indicador de la historia reciente de quema dentro de los páramos. Para determinar la estructura de tamaño de la población, la mortalidad, reclutamiento y tasa de crecimiento de Puya hamata, se midieron todas las plantas de Puya dentro de cuadros de 400 m 2 en 2008 y un año más tarde. Se re...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Puya Hamata Demography as an Indicator of Recent Fire History in the Páramo of El Ángel and Volcán Chiles, Ecuador-Colombia

García-Meneses¹,

Ramsay²

2014

Caldasia

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“…These variables were elev (elevation in meters derived from a 50 m Â 50 m DEM), slope (percent slope derived from a 50 m Â 50 m DEM), fire (binary variable indicating whether a fire had occurred on the plot in the previous thirty years), and solar (solar insolation in WH/m 2 received at the plot on the winter solstice derived from a 50 m Â 50 m DEM). Fire was modeled as a binary variable indicating whether the plot had burned in the previous 30 years based on studies showing that saguaros can be eliminated from an area when the fire return interval is less than 30 years (Rogers, 1985), which is the time required for saguaros to reach reproductive maturity (Steenbergh and Lowe, 1977). The solar variable serves as a proxy for risk to extreme low temperatures and freezing events commonly used in vegetation distribution studies (Pierce et al 2005;Urban et al 2000).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change impacts on high elevation saguaro range expansion

Springer¹,

Swann²,

Crimmins³

2015

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Post-fire death of larger cacti such as Opuntia spp., Ferocactus spp. and Carnegiea gigantea may be clearly visible within a year (Heirman and Wright 1973;McLaughlin and Bowers 1982) but further mortality may be evident after 2-3 years (Bunting et al 1980;Wright and Bailey 1982) and even after 4-6 years (Cable 1967, Rogers 1985. Fewer longterm studies have been conducted on smaller and less conspicuous species that are generally <25 cm tall, but these suggest that they are also prone to delayed mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality over 16 years of cacti in a burnt desert grassland

Thomas

2005

Plant Ecol

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Mortality of cacti after grassland fires is usually <25% within 2 years. Little, however, is known about long-term mortality. This study followed the fate of 50 marked plants of each of four species of small cacti (Coryphantha vivipara, Echinocereus pectinatus, Echinomastus intertextus and Mammillaria heyderi) on burnt and unburnt desert-grassland in Arizona. All marked plants were dead within 16 years. The first three species suffered increased mortality after being burnt while M. gummifera survived better after fire. The average rate of mortality of burnt plants over unburnt plants was 10.2 times higher in E. pectinatus, 3.7 times in C. vivipara and 1.5 times in E. intertextus. In M. heyderi, however, the mortality of burnt plants was 0.25 that of control plants. Fire more rapidly removed the breeding populations of the first three species, reducing seed availability in the occasional years favourable for establishment, increasing the risk of local extinction. Cacti did establish on the study areas and by the end were of a similar size to the dead cohort giving the superficial impression that the site was unchanged except for a reduction on unburnt sites in total cactus density (burnt: 445/ha in 1987, 401/ha in 2003; control: 2235/ha and 675/ha, respectively). Evidence of fire and dead plants rapidly disappeared, so without plants being marked the death of one population and establishment of another would have been easily missed. Estimates of growth rates support the assertion that the final plants established during the study.

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Mortality of Burned Cereus Giganteus

Cited by 30 publications

References 1 publication

Puya Hamata Demography as an Indicator of Recent Fire History in the Páramo of El Ángel and Volcán Chiles, Ecuador-Colombia

Puya Hamata Demography as an Indicator of Recent Fire History in the Páramo of El Ángel and Volcán Chiles, Ecuador-Colombia

Climate change impacts on high elevation saguaro range expansion

Mortality over 16 years of cacti in a burnt desert grassland

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