Soil seed bank, fire season, and temporal patterns of germination in a seeder-dominated Mediterranean shrubland

Céspedes, Blanca; Torres, Iván; Luna, Belén; Pérez, Beatriz; Moreno, José M.

doi:10.1007/s11258-011-9983-2

Cited by 40 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…We interpreted this to mean that the observed differential effect of fire season on the abundance of obligate seeders should be attributed to phenological effects. A similar result was reported in a previous study, in the western Mediterranean Basin, examining the effect of fire season on germination density from the soil seed bank (Céspedes et al., ). A vegetation survey in this same experimental system revealed no significant differences in the abundances of resprouters and seeders between burning seasons (Céspedes, Torres, Perez, Luna, & Moreno, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Field studies examining the consequences of fire season on plant community composition have been conducted mostly in North America (Knapp et al., ). In recent years, controlled fire experiments were also carried out in the western Mediterranean Basin (Céspedes, Luna, Pérez, Urbieta, & Moreno, ; Céspedes, Torres, Luna, Perez, & Moreno, ). Unlike the western Mediterranean region, the summer in the eastern Mediterranean Basin is completely dry (Goldreich, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fire season modifies the perennial plant community composition through a differential effect on obligate seeders in eastern Mediterranean woodlands

Tsafrir

Osem

Shemesh

et al. 2018

Applied Vegetation Science

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Aim: Plant species regenerate after fire either through vegetative growth (i.e., obligate resprouters) or seed germination (i.e., obligate seeders), with some species adopting both strategies (i.e., facultative seeders). Fire season can have important consequences for the relative abundance of plant species adopting these regeneration strategies. The present study aimed to test for differential effects of fire season on perennial plant community composition.Location: Eastern Mediterranean woodland in the Judea Mountains, Israel. Methods:We conducted, for the first time, a large-scale field experiment, involving prescribed spring and autumn burns in a typical eastern Mediterranean woodland.We sampled the perennial plant community before and after the burns, quantifying temporal changes in community composition caused by seasonal fires. Results:Although fire intensity and severity were consistent between the two seasonal fires, plant community composition differed between areas subjected to spring or autumn burns. The abundances of all common species, Pistacia lenticus (obligate resprouter), Cistus spp. (obligate seeders) and Teucrium divaricatum (facultative seeder), were all reduced by both fires. Yet, their dominance in the post-fire perennial plant community was retained.Differential fire season effects were detected only among obligate seeders, which experienced a stronger reduction in abundance after spring than after autumn burns. Conclusions:Differential fire season effects on the perennial plant community resulted from phenological rather than fire intensity/severity effects. Such changes in community composition may have important implications for plant community dynamics, because they affect the circle of "fire event-plant regeneration-fire reoccurrence", determining the probability and intensity of future fires. Furthermore, even though the eastern mediterranean ecosystem is considered highly resilient to disturbances, increased spatio-temporal variation in fire season, may result in a new vegetation mosaic, differing from the contemporary one, i.e., an alternative stable state. K E Y W O R D S community composition, facultative seeders, fire disturbance, obligate resprouters, obligate seeders, plant life form, plant regeneration strategy 116 | Applied Vegetation Science TSAFRIR eT Al.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire season modifies the perennial plant community composition through a differential effect on obligate seeders in eastern Mediterranean woodlands

Tsafrir

Osem

Shemesh

et al. 2018

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…) or heat‐induced (Céspedes et al. , Chamorro et al. ) germination, are examples of potential reproductive traits selected under high fire frequencies, but they will not be dealt with here as they are uncommon in trees.…”

Section: Resilience To Fire At Population Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, serotiny is under genetic control in P. pinaster, and it is only present in those populations that have historically experienced recurrent high-intensity fires (Gil et al 2009). Additional traits, such as smoke-induced (Tormo et al 2014) or heat-induced (C espedes et al 2012(C espedes et al , Chamorro et al 2016 germination, are examples of potential reproductive traits selected under high fire frequencies, but they will not be dealt with here as they are uncommon in trees. Nonetheless, the degree to which these traits are truly fire adaptations remains contentious.…”

Section: Propagule Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire‐induced deforestation in drought‐prone Mediterranean forests: drivers and unknowns from leaves to communities

Karavani

Boer

Baudena

et al. 2018

Ecological Monographs

110

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Over the past 15 years, 3 million hectares of forests have been converted into shrublands or grasslands in the Mediterranean countries of the European Union. Fire and drought are the main drivers underlying this deforestation. Here we present a conceptual framework for the process of fire‐induced deforestation based on the interactive effects of fire and drought across three hierarchical scales: resistance in individuals, resilience in populations, and transitions to a new state. At the individual plant level, we review the traits that confer structural and physiological resistance, as well as allow for resprouting capacity: deforestation can be initiated when established individuals succumb to fire. After individuals perish, the second step toward deforestation requires a limited resilience from the population, that is, a reduced ability of that species to regenerate after fire. If individuals die after fire and the population fails to recover, then a transition to a new state will occur. We document trade‐offs between drought survival and fire survival, as embolism resistance is negatively correlated with fire tolerance in conifers and leaf shedding or drought deciduousness, a process that decreases water consumption at the peak of the dry season, temporally increases crown flammability. Propagule availability and establishment control resilience after mortality, but different hypotheses make contrasting predictions on the drivers of post‐fire establishment. Mycorrhizae play an additional role in modulating the response by favoring recovery through amelioration of the nutritional and water status of resprouts and new germinants. So far, resprouter species such as oaks have provided a buffer against deforestation in forests dominated by obligate seeder trees, when present in high enough density in the understory. While diversifying stands with resprouters is often reported as advantageous for building resilience, important knowledge gaps exist on how floristic composition interacts with stand flammability and on the “resprouter exhaustion syndrome,” a condition where pre‐fire drought stress, or short fire return intervals, seriously restrict post‐fire resprouting. Additional attention should be paid to the onset of novel fire environments in previously fire‐free environments, such as high altitude forests, and management actions need to accommodate this complexity to sustain Mediterranean forests under a changing climate.

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“…; Céspedes et al. ) changes over the year. Moreover, the breaking of dormancy may also be affected by burning season (Ooi ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burning season effects on the short‐term post‐fire vegetation dynamics of a Mediterranean heathland

Céspedes

Luna

Pérez

et al. 2013

Applied Vegetation Science

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Question: What are the short-term (first 4 yrs) dynamics of a Mediterranean heathland following burning during the early-vs the late-fire season?Location: Serra da Lousã, Central Portugal. Methods:The vegetation studied was a 16-year old heathland with Erica australis (resprouter), Pterospartum tridentatum (resprouter/seeder) and Erica umbellata (seeder) among the dominant species. Four blocks, each with three 50 m 9 40 m plots, were established. One plot per block was burned during the early season (ES) and one during the late season (LS), and the third remained unburned. Prior to, and during the first 4 yrs after burning, each burned plot was sampled for species abundance, vigour and richness. The effects of fire through time were tested using random blocks repeated measures ANOVA. Recruitment was modelled as a function of percentage of post-fire soil covered by litter (%). MANOVA was used to test changes in the relative dominance of the woody species due to fire. Community dynamics were assessed by NMDS ordination analysis.Results: Fire severity was higher and the percentage of post-fire soil covered by litter lower in ES than LS burns. The post-fire plant dynamics were dominated by the resprouting response. Resprouting was not affected by burning season, but ES fires resulted in higher seedling recruitment than LS fires, particularly in the dominant seeder E. umbellata. Seedling recruitment was negatively related to post-fire soil covered by litter. Additionally, seedling emergence was delayed by nearly 1 yr in LS fires with respect to ES fires. Species richness was higher in ES than LS fires. Fire did not globally affect the relative abundance of the dominant species, although the seeder E. umbellata decreased its relative cover with respect to the other dominant species. Ordination analysis showed that the postfire dynamics of the vegetation were on a track of convergence with the community existing before fire.Conclusion: Burning season differentially affected regeneration, mainly by its effect on seeding, with little effect on resprouting. Burning season and associated changes in fire severity and soil covered by litter could alter the short-term regeneration dynamics, which can have important implications for managing this highly flammable vegetation.

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Soil seed bank, fire season, and temporal patterns of germination in a seeder-dominated Mediterranean shrubland

Cited by 40 publications

References 42 publications

Fire season modifies the perennial plant community composition through a differential effect on obligate seeders in eastern Mediterranean woodlands

Fire season modifies the perennial plant community composition through a differential effect on obligate seeders in eastern Mediterranean woodlands

Fire‐induced deforestation in drought‐prone Mediterranean forests: drivers and unknowns from leaves to communities

Burning season effects on the short‐term post‐fire vegetation dynamics of a Mediterranean heathland

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