Effects of Fire Season and Herbivory on Reproductive Success in a Clonal Forb, Pityopsis Graminifolia

Brewer, J. Stephen; Platt, William

doi:10.2307/2261273

Cited by 83 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Groundcover seedling establishment has been hypothesized to occur primarily in association with micro-disturbances such as burnouts of pine boles or crowns, or the edges of abandoned animal burrows (Matlack & Good 1990;Glitzenstein etal. 1990;Hartnett 1987;Kaczor & Hartnett 1990;Brewer & Platt 1994a). In these locations competition for space from established perennial grasses/forbs is reduced and there is less fuel; thus, the likelihood of damage from fires is reduced.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of habitat and growing season fires on resprouting of shrubs in longleaf pine savannas

1995

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The effects of habitat and timing of growing season fires on resprouting of shrubs were studied in second-growth longleaf pine savannas of the west Gulf coastal plain in the southeastern United States. Within the headwaters of three different drainages of the Calcasieu River in the Kisatchie National Forest in western Louisiana, replicated permanent transects were established that extended from xeric upland longleafpine savannas into downslope hydric seepage savannas. All shrubs were mapped and tagged, and numbers of stems were counted prior to any fires. Replicated prescribed fires were set early (June) and late (Augus0 during the 1990 growing season; maximum fire temperatures were measured within both upland and seepage habitats within each transect. Shrubs were relocated; stems were recensused two and twelve months after the fires. At least some shrubs of all species resprouted from underground organs; none regenerated solely from seed banks in the soil. There was no reduction in total numbers of stems one year after fires compared to before fires, either in the upland or in seepage savannas. In addition, there was no reduction in total numbers of stems one year after early or late growing season fires. Fire-related mortality was restricted to small shrubs (< 18 stems) and was not associated with high fire temperatures. The rate of resprouting varied among species and between habitats. Resprouting occurred more rapidly in seepage than upland savannas, but more resprouts were produced in upland than seepage savannas one year after fires. In contrast to other upland species, Vaccinium arboreum and V eUiottii delayed resprouting more than two months following fire. Stems of Rhus copallina and Pyrus arbutifolia, species with long rhizomes, increased more after fires in June than fires in August. We suggest that growing season fires may block further recruitment of shrubs into longleaf pine savannas, but reduction in numbers of large shrubs may require additional management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of habitat and growing season fires on resprouting of shrubs in longleaf pine savannas

1995

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“…Frequent fires have been shown to play an integral role in determining community structure and nutrient cycling in this ecosystem (Christensen 1987;Platt et al 1988Platt et al , 1991. As a component of the fire regime in longleaf pine savannas, season of burn has been emphasized as a major evolutionary force that drives plant reproduction (Platt et al 1988;Seamon et al 1989;Brewer and Platt 1994a). Traditionally, fires in the southeast have been set from February to late-April for wildlife management considerations and the predictability of weather conditions following the passage of cold fronts through the region (Lemon 1949;Stoddard 1950;Grelen and Epps 1967).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This management season of burn, however, differs from the putative pre-Columbian season of burn when fires, ignited by lightning, are thought to have occurred most often in the summer months between the end of May and August (Robbins and Myers 1992). If lightning-season fires have exerted strong selective pressure on the reproductive biology of native plants, then it may be possible to assess the evolutionary significance of season of burn by observing plant responses to varying fire regimes (Platt et al 1988;Brewer and Platt 1994a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of fire regime on legume reproduction in longleaf pine savannas: is a season selective?

2000

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The biodiversity of fire-dependent ecosystems is increasingly threatened by habitat fragmentation and fire suppression. Reducing species loss requires that salient features of natural fire regimes be incorporated into managed regimes. Lightning-season burns have been emphasized as the critical component of disturbance regimes that maintain native biodiversity within endangered longleaf pine savannas, the most diverse plant community in North America. Over evolutionary time, lightning-season fire is thought to have exerted strong selection pressure on plant pollinator interaction, flower production, and seedling establishment. In this study, season of burn had no effect on pollination activity of native legumes. Contrary to the conventional paradigm, we found a wide range of reproductive responses among dominant legumes in response to the season of burn treatments, suggesting that a variable fire season, rather than a single season of burn, is appropriate to maintain a greater variety of native species. We propose that varying the components of fire regimes, rather than selecting a particular fire regime, is likely to be important to conserve biodiversity in this and other fire-dependent communities.

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“…Final Report Draft 9/18/2014 Fire History of Avon Park Air Force Rangepine savanna species show strong and varying responses to fire at different times of year (Streng et al 1993, Brewer and Platt 1994, Fill et al 2012). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dendrochronological Field Methods for Fire History in Pine Ecosystems of the Southeastern Coastal Plain

Huffman

Rother

2017

Tree-Ring Research

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Effects of Fire Season and Herbivory on Reproductive Success in a Clonal Forb, Pityopsis Graminifolia

Cited by 83 publications

References 27 publications

Effects of habitat and growing season fires on resprouting of shrubs in longleaf pine savannas

Effects of habitat and growing season fires on resprouting of shrubs in longleaf pine savannas

The effects of fire regime on legume reproduction in longleaf pine savannas: is a season selective?

Dendrochronological Field Methods for Fire History in Pine Ecosystems of the Southeastern Coastal Plain

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