Vegetation succession after fire in sclerophyll woodland communities in south‐eastern Australia

Abstract

The dynamics of vegetation regeneration after burning were examined in three dry .sclerophvU cotntmmities near Canberra, in south-eastern Australia. Changes in seedling atid regrowth populations were followed in permanettt quadrats during the first two years after burning, atid compared with both the preburn vegetation atid population changes over the same period in adjacent, unburnt plots.All species represented either by livittg plants in the tree and shrtib strata attd/or by seed in the soil and litter prior to burnittg regetierated duritig the first year after the fire treattnents. No tiew species invaded the areas after burning. Species varied in their regenerative strategy and recovered after the fires either by germination of seed residual in the soil and ash or releasedfrotn trees after burning, by regrowth from surviving vegetative organs, or by a combination of gertnitiation and regrowth. Both seedling inpttt and the vegetative recovery of populations were higher during the first than secottd year after burning. The vegetative multiplication and seed gertnination of many species were stimulated by fire.It was concluded that the regetteration of the communities studied, as well as the post-fire recovery of nitmerotts different communities reported in the literature, closely resembled an initial floristic composition model. It is considered that the process of vegetation redevelopment after a disturbance {i.e. seeondary successioti) will be influenced greatly bv the species composition at the time of disturbance, and by the type of disturbing agent. A single tnodel * Present address: Queensland Herbarium, Meiers Road. Indooroopilly. Australia 4068.wottid not be expected to adeqttately describe secondary sticcession following disturbance by agents imposing different stress conditions on a commtmity.

Seed-Germination Patterns in Fire-Prone Mediterranean-Climate Regions

“…Disturbance-Dependent Recruitment: Later Postfire Geophytes apparently survive fire by resprouting and do not establish seedlings from a persistent seed bank (Purdie and Slatyer 1976, Purdie 1977, Bell et al 1984. These include taxa in the Orchidaceae (Caladenia and Prasophyllum), Liliaceae (Blandfordia, Dasypogon, Lomandra, and Thysanotus), and Droseraceae (Drosera) (Pate and Dixon 1981).…”

Markov models and initial floristic composition in heathland vegetation dynamics

“…In common with other vegetation types subject to recurrent fire (e.g. Purdie & Slatyer, 1976), a sequence of species colonization and extinction with accompanying environmental modification (relay floristics) is not generally found after heath fires. The majority of species typical of the community are present immediately following the fire and subsequent developments are merely changes in the relative abundance of species.…”

Stand characteristics, understorey associates and environmental correlates ofEucalyptus tetrodonta F. Muell. forests on Gunn Point, northern Australia

“…D and E;Withers & Ashton, 1977;Withers, 1978;Harris & Kirkpatrick, 1982). Dry forest eucalypts are fire resistant and well adapted to high frequencies of firing (Purdie & Slatyer, 1976;Christensen et al, 1981;Bowman & Kirkpatrick, 1985a). Seedling establishment is dependent upon disturbance, and the natural agent is typically fire (Mount, 1979).…”