Grasses and fire: the importance of hiding buds

Pausas, Juli G.; Paula, Susana

doi:10.1111/nph.15964

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…We found that the ability to resprout post-fire was not significantly associated with either C 3 or C 4 photosynthetic pathways, matching previous work using a smaller sample (Pausas and Paula, 2020). As in that work, we found that bud position was indeed related to resprouting ability, with a significantly higher proportion of resprouting species having buds belowground in the form of rhizomes as predicted.…”

Section: Accepted Articlesupporting

confidence: 89%

Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders

et al. 2020

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 Plant populations persist under recurrent fire via resprouting from surviving tissues (resprouters) or seedling recruitment (seeders). Woody species are inherently slow-maturing, meaning that seeders are confined to infrequent fire regimes. However, for grasses, which mature faster, the relationships between persistence strategy and fire regime remains unknown.  Globally, we analysed associations between fire regimes experienced by hundreds of grass species and their persistence strategy, within a phylogenetic context. We also tested whether persistence strategies are associated with morphological and physiological traits.  Resprouters were associated with less frequent fire than seeders. Whilst modal fire frequencies were similar (fire return interval of 4-6 years), seeders were restricted to regions with more frequent fire than resprouters, suggesting that greater competition with long-lived resprouters restricts seeder recruitment and survival when fire is rare. Resprouting was associated with lower leaf N, higher C/N ratios and the presence of below-ground buds, but was unrelated to photosynthetic pathway.  Differences between the life histories of grasses and woody species lead to a contrasting prevalence of seeders and resprouters in relation to fire frequency. Rapid sexual maturation in grasses means that seeder distributions, relative to fire regime, are determined by competitive ability and recruitment, rather than time to reproductive maturity.

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Section: Accepted Articlesupporting

confidence: 89%

Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders

et al. 2020

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“…Under such regimes, the most likely fire response would be resprouting as short fire intervals would prevent seedlings and saplings of reaching maturity (Bellingham & Sparrow, 2000;Bond & Midgley, 2001Pausas & Keeley, 2014). Location, protection, and number of buds are main drivers of post-fire resprouting and adult individuals can resprout from aerial, basal or below-ground buds, given that the meristematic tissues survive the high temperatures caused by fire (Clarke et al, 2013;Clarke et al, 2015;Charles-Dominique et al, 2015;Pausas et al, 2018;Pausas & Paula, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐fire regeneration strategies in a frequently burned Cerrado community

Zupo

Daibes

Pausas

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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Aim: Fire is a natural disturbance in many ecosystems throughout the world where plant populations can persist by the resprouting of individuals and/or by recruiting from seeds. We evaluated the post-fire regeneration response for 41 coexisting species, including grasses, forbs, and shrubs, from an open Cerrado community (campo sujo) in Central Brazil. Location: The study was conducted at the Reserva Natural Serra do Tombador (RNST) in Central Brazil. The vegetation of the study area is characterized by a continuous herbaceous layer dominated by grasses and scattered shrubs, which produces fine fuel loads that can burn frequently. Methods: We examined both resprouting ability after experimental fires, accounting for bud location, and seed response to heat shocks caused by fire, where seeds were subjected to heat shocks of 100°C for one and three minutes, 200°C for one minute, and a control (untreated seeds). Results: All species were able to resprout (R+) after fire, mainly from buds located in underground structures, but also from aerial and basal buds. Seeds of most species tolerated heat shocks of 100°C for one and three minutes, but heat treatments of 200°C decreased seed viability of nearly 50% of species. Seven species, all of which had dormant seeds, showed heat-stimulated germination. In sum, 81% of the community was classified as R+PT (resprouters with heat-tolerant propagules) and 17% was R+PS (resprouters with heat-stimulated propagules). The remaining 2% (one species) was classified as R+P−, showing heat-sensitive seeds. Conclusions: Resprouting is the main post-fire regeneration strategy in Cerrado open savannas, while fire-stimulated germination, although possible, is less common in comparison to the frequency in other fire-prone ecosystems. However, in Cerrado open savannas, heat tolerance is an important trait that enables germination when favorable conditions arise.

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“…Some native species may be susceptible to fire (e.g. C3 grasses, Moore et al 2019), with responses depending on the location of regenerating buds (Pausas & Paula 2020). Resprouting capacity, particularly for C3 species, may also be negatively impacted by drought (Prober et al 2004; Moore et al 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land‐use legacies limit the effectiveness of switches in disturbance type to restore endangered grasslands

Price

Schultz

Hodges

et al. 2020

Restoration Ecology

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Temperate native grasslands in Australia have been decimated across their range since European colonization (>200 years ago), and the few remaining remnants are mostly fragmented and degraded. Changes in disturbance type, particularly the removal of Indigenous fire and the introduction of livestock grazing, resulted in the local extinction of fire‐dependent and grazing‐sensitive native species, and led to an increase in exotic species. Recently, native grasslands have been acquired to improve the reservation status of the threatened community and management strategies have been implemented that involve the removal of livestock grazing and the reintroduction of fire or other biomass reduction methods. Here, we examine if the change in disturbance type—a disturbance switch—improves the native composition of grasslands. We review literature that reports instances where there has been a change in disturbance type to examine how grasslands respond to disturbance switching. We found mostly no change in native and exotic species richness when management changed from stock grazing to fire (at least in the short term, ≤10 years). Positive outcomes for other disturbance shifts (grazing → mowing, or cultivation → grazing) occurred when the disturbance type was accompanied by seed addition, or in landscapes where dispersal from nearby remnant sites was possible. This suggests that seed‐ and/or dispersal‐limitation may limit passive restoration outcomes in fragmented landscapes. It is necessary to determine the longer‐term impacts of switches in disturbance regimes, and whether recovery thresholds have already been crossed.

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Grasses and fire: the importance of hiding buds

Cited by 26 publications

References 22 publications

Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders

Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders

Post‐fire regeneration strategies in a frequently burned Cerrado community

Land‐use legacies limit the effectiveness of switches in disturbance type to restore endangered grasslands

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