Producers and the Fire Cycle in a Phryganic Ecosystem

Ecophysiology of fire‐stimulated seed germination in Cistus incanus ssp. creticus (L.) Hey wood and C. salvifolius L.

“…Cislus seed germination ean be signifieantly promoted by meehanical scarification or thermal pretreatment. These results are eonsistent with those already reported for various Cistus speeies by Argyris (1977), Arianoutsou & Margaris (1981), Vuillemin & Bulard (1981) and Troumbis & Trabaud (1986). For the speeies investigated in this work, highest promotion was obtained, in descending order, by either 15 and 30 min at 100 C or 30 min at 80 C. All the available data clearly show that a thermal shoek of 5-30 min at 80-100 C r-esults in a nearly optimal germination of Cistus seeds.…”

“…In natural eonditions, during the non-fire years, there is an annual produetion ofa seed erop, the soft portion of which is appointed to gertninate promptly, contributing in this way to the maintenance and expansion of the existing Cistus plant populations. In the phryganie ecosystems studied by Arianoutsou & Margaris (1981) and Troumbis & Trabaud (1986), the appearance of Cistus seedlings measured was about 25 and 15 seedlings -m', respectively. The large part of the seed population is hardeoated and, therefore, aeeumulates in the soil seed bank.…”

“…The faet that Cistus seeds have a primary dormancy imposed by the seed coat which, in the natural environment, is eventually l-eleased massively by wildfires, often resultitig in prolifie dense statids, is well documented, both direetly (Atianoutsou & Mat-garis, 1981;Vuilletnin & Bulard, 1981;Ttoumbis & Tt-abaud, 1986) and inditectly (Mat-tin & Juht-en, 1954;Juhren, 1966;Le Houerou, 1973;Naveh, 1974;Montgotnery & Strid, 1976;Papanastasis, 1977;Arianoutsou-Faraggitaki & Margaris, 1981;Arianoutsou-Fat-aggitaki & Mat-garis, 1982;Tt-abaud, 1984;Thanos et al, 1985), The itnportanee of Cistus for the teeolonization of the burnt areas is indicated by the eonsiderably high, post-fire seedling densities reported (e.g, 500 m -, Arianoutsou & 50-164050- tn -and, in an exceptional case, 29,000 m % Thanos et al, 1985, The aim of this study was to investigate, in detail, the seed physiology and, more speeifieally, the germination mechanisms and their ecologieal implieations in the two Cistus species most common in Greece,…”

The potential of marginal lands for bees and apiculture: nectar secretion in Mediterranean shrublands

“…If we consider that nectar is concentrated up to 85% (80-90% according Maurizio and Grafl, 1982) Herrera, 1985). This implies that the total honey production is strongly dependent upon their abundance, which is lower during the first years after fire compared with the immature phase of the phryganic ecosystem (see Ari-anoutsou-Faraggitaki and Margaris, 1981, and references therein; Petanidou, unpublished data).…”

Contribution to the flora of the South Aegean Volcanic Arc: Anafi Island (Kiklades, Greece)

“…The high percentages of therophytes (55.69 %) and of leguminous taxa (12.35 %) in Chalki indicates characteristic disturbance in Mediterranean ecosystems (naveh 1974;Arianoutsou & Margaris 1981;Barbero & al. 1990;Panitsa & al.…”