Fire tolerance of a resprouting Artemisia (Asteraceae) shrub

Abstract

In North America, most Artemisia (Asteraceae) shrub species lack the ability to resprout after disturbances that remove aboveground biomass. We studied the response of one of the few resprouting Artemisia shrubs, Artemisia filifolia (sand sagebrush), to the effects of prescribed fires. We collected data on A. filifolia density and structural characteristics (height, canopy area, and canopy volume) in an

Patch‐burn management: Implications for conservation of avian communities in fire‐dependent sagebrush ecosystems

“…Instead, the amount of shrub cover and shrub heights may be important nesting requirements for these shrub‐associated birds (Askins ). In our study, sand sagebrush (as measured by shrub cover and height) recovered quickly with 2–3 years (Winter et al ). As such, shrub‐associated birds in both treatments may have been experiencing similar nest loss factors between the 2 treatments.…”

“…Although this result may be true for species of sagebrush in the Intermountain West, USA, sand sagebrush resprouts after a fire (Winter et al ). As a result, sand sagebrush density does not appear to be reduced by fire, and cover is significantly reduced only in the current year burn (Winter et al ), suggesting pyric herbivory may be an appropriate conservation tool in sand sagebrush ecosystems.…”

Nesting ecology of grassland birds following a wildfire in the southern Great Plains

“…Thus, nests placed in woody vegetation may have been more common on areas that had not been burned due to more woody material being available. Alternatively, sand sagebrush, a common shrub on our sites, is more resilient to fire, and structural characteristics recover in 3-4 y after prescribed fires (Winter et al, 2011). Our findings are consistent with those of Bock and Bock (1987), who found lark sparrows avoided areas with little or no woody vegetation after a wildfire in Montana.…”

Ecology of plant resprouting: populations to community responses in fire-prone ecosystems

“…Although it is now relatively well established that resprouter lineages do not have lower rates of molecular evolution and diversification than reseeders (Verdú et al 2007), resprouters nevertheless have the potential to dominate plant communities affected by large-scale disturbances such as fire (see in this issue: Enright et al 2011;Knox and Clarke 2011;Nano and Clarke 2011;Nzunda and Lawes 2011;Winter et al 2011). It is clear from an examination of the phylogenetic relationship between post-fire resprouting (epicormic) anatomy and biome evolution (Crisp et al 2011;Lamont et al 2011, this issue), and the origins of fire-stimulated flowering (Lamont and Downes 2011, this issue) that resprouting has had a long history among seed plants, dating from 45 to 62 Ma.…”