Fire exclusion changes belowground bud bank and bud-bearing organ composition jeopardizing open savanna resilience

Bombo, Aline Bertolosi; Appezzato‐da‐Glória, Beatriz; Fidelis, Alessandra

doi:10.1007/s00442-022-05172-1

Cited by 17 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The observed changes in abundance over time could influence ecological processes such as feedback between plants and fire, because graminoids are the major drivers of the flammability of Cerrado plant communities (Zanzarini et al, 2022). Moreover, the turnover of species observed among sites can also lead to a turnover of functional traits altering the ecosystem services, such as the type and presence of storage organs (Pausas et al, 2018; Bombo et al, 2022), critical traits for community productivity (Sarmiento, 1992) and carbon storage (Teixeira et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Should we burn the Cerrado? Effects of fire frequency on open savanna plant communities

Rodrigues

Fidelis

2022

J Vegetation Science

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Aims: Tropical savanna evolved in the presence of fire, depending on it to maintain its physiognomies and biodiversity. Open ecosystems of tropical savanna burn frequently, and thus changes in fire frequency can affect their plant communities. In this study we aimed to analyze the effects of different fire frequencies on the composition, structure and post-fire regeneration of open savanna plant communities of the Cerrado.Location: Open savannas, Central Brazil (13°35-38′S and 47°45-51′W). Methods:We conducted surveys in areas with different fire frequencies (fire exclusion, burned annually and burned biennially for 6 years, from 2013). Vegetation sampling was carried out before application of fire treatments in 2017, and then 1 and 2 years after. Species cover was estimated visually and later grouped into graminoids, shrubs and forbs.Results: Evaluation of the plant communities after 6 years of fire treatment indicated that fire frequency did not affect species richness. Fire frequency did, however, promote alteration in species occurrence and abundance, resulting in three dissimilar plant communities. Regarding post-fire regeneration, annually burned plots showed consistency in species richness and growth form cover over 6 years of annually applied fire. Biennially burned plots tended to be more variable than the other treatments, with a large increase in species richness and growth form cover in the first year after fire, succeeded by a decrease in the second year. Not all species that were recruited just after fire were able to persist in the above-ground community in the second year after fire.Conclusions: Open savannas of the Cerrado are highly resilient to fire, even to annual fires, with 6 years of annual fire treatments not affecting post-fire species diversity or growth form cover. However, communities differed in species composition, which can influence their functional diversity and lead to alterations in ecosystem services. Our findings encourage long-term studies to evaluate the resilience of areas frequently burned, as well as longer fire exclusion periods.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chase and Paspalum pectinatum Nees ex Trin. (Rissi et al, 2017) with a high diversity of forbs and shrubs with below‐ground bud‐bearing organs (Bombo et al, 2022). The most important post‐fire regeneration strategy is therefore resprouting from basal and below‐ground structures (Zupo et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Should we burn the Cerrado? Effects of fire frequency on open savanna plant communities

Rodrigues

Fidelis

2022

J Vegetation Science

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“…In the Cerrado, the below‐ground bud bank density responds directly to the below‐ground bud‐bearing organs' density. There is a tendency for a decrease in bud density related to the decrease in bud‐bearing organ densities (Bombo, Appezzato‐da‐Glória, & Fidelis, 2022; Bombo, Siebert, & Fidelis, 2022). This tendency can be explained by the fact that buds are connected to their parental plants, being tied to the longevity of the organ (Ott et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In many ecosystems, such as South African savannas, North American prairies, and Brazilian southern Campos , the below‐ground bud bank plays key roles in plant community regeneration after disturbances (Benson & Hartnett, 2006; Fidelis et al, 2014; Scogings & Sankaran, 2020; Siebert et al, 2019; Bombo, Appezzato‐da‐Glória, & Fidelis, 2022; Bombo, Siebert, & Fidelis, 2022). In this context, our study reveals novelties regarding below‐ground bud bank dynamics in the Cerrado by analyzing differences in below‐ground bud bank size and densities of bud‐bearing organs throughout one annual cycle of rainy and dry seasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the knowledge that bud banks are vital for grassy ecosystem regeneration after disturbances, few studies addressed plant community responses by looking at the below‐ground perspective. Some studies pointed out that the exclusion of fire for longer periods may decrease below‐ground bud‐bearing organ diversity and bud density (Fidelis et al, 2014; Bombo, Appezzato‐da‐Glória, & Fidelis, 2022; Bombo, Siebert, & Fidelis, 2022) in most of the forb bud bank, which may affect the plant community's resilience. Although we know that resprouting from the below‐ground bud bank is one of the major regeneration strategies in tropical savannas, there is no information on how seasonality would affect the reserve of buds along the year, which in turn, could affect the regeneration potential of the vegetation after disturbance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonality affects the below‐ground bud bank dynamics of the Cerrado

Ferraro

Silva

Martins

et al. 2022

J Vegetation Science

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Question: How does seasonality affect the below-ground bud bank dynamics in open savannas from the Cerrado and the density of below-ground bud-bearing organs?As the Cerrado is subject to marked seasonality, many herbaceous plants may lose their above-ground biomass during the dry season, and regenerate it later in the rainy period through resprouting from below-ground buds. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that seasonality may directly affect bud bank dynamics and below-ground bud-bearing organs, with a larger bud bank size and higher densities of below-ground organs in the rainy season.Location: Open savannas of the Cerrado, southeastern Brazil. Methods:The bud bank was sampled in three open areas of the Cerrado. In each area, 10 plots were established, and, within each plot, the biomass was sampled to 10 cm below-ground level. In the lab, buds and below-ground organs were counted. We fitted generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) to test the differences in the bud bank and the below-ground organ densities between the dry and rainy seasons. Results:The bud bank size was smaller in the dry season. Buds found in the dry season suggest they were developed in the rainy season and remained dormant, not forming new shoots. Non-woody rhizomes of caespitose grasses were more abundant during the rainy season. Xylopodia and woody rhizome densities were not significantly affected by seasonality.Conclusions: Bud bank dynamics in the Cerrado is affected by seasonality. There is a decrease in bud bank density in the dry season, suggesting that buds were developed into new branches in the rainy season, but not all of them develop into new shoots in the same season. Thus, the bud bank evaluated in the dry season probably is formed by an accumulation of dormant preformed buds, highlighting the occurrence of a resprouting dynamic of native species of the Cerrado in the rainy season.

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Temperature‐related factors are the better determinants of belowground bud density, while moisture‐related factors are the better determinants of belowground bud diversity at the regional scale

Qian

Shi

et al. 2022

Land Degrad Dev

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Belowground bud banks mediate several critical processes in grassland ecosystems under global climate change. However, the functions of belowground bud bank along large-scale climatic gradients have rarely been reported. This study focused on the temperature and moisture transects at the regional scale to study the spatial pattern of belowground bud banks in grasslands of northern China, with purpose of examining: (1) whether the effects of temperature and moisture factors on belowground bud banks were similar; and (2) whether the effects of climate factors on bud density and diversity were similar. Results showed that bud banks had stronger linear relationships with factors in the zonal transect than those in the meridional transect; for bud densities, temperature-related factors along the zonal transect were major determinants, and the maximum annual snow depth (MAS) contributed the most to the total bud density, whereas bud bank diversity was significantly related to moisture factors along the meridional transect, but showed no significant relationships with any factors along the zonal transect. Our study demonstrated that temperature factors were better determinants of bud density, while moisture factors were better determinants of bud diversity at the regional scale. The MAS was the major factor in determining bud bank density, with a higher density in the colder region. These results are crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying population regeneration and community dynamics under global climate change.

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Fire exclusion changes belowground bud bank and bud-bearing organ composition jeopardizing open savanna resilience

Cited by 17 publications

References 60 publications

Should we burn the Cerrado? Effects of fire frequency on open savanna plant communities

Should we burn the Cerrado? Effects of fire frequency on open savanna plant communities

Seasonality affects the below‐ground bud bank dynamics of the Cerrado

Temperature‐related factors are the better determinants of belowground bud density, while moisture‐related factors are the better determinants of belowground bud diversity at the regional scale

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