Growth and reproductive post-fire responses of two shrubs in semiarid Patagonian grasslands

Gonzalez, Sofía Laura; Ghermandi, Luciana; Peláez, D.V.

doi:10.1071/wf14134

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…A wide diversity of below-ground bud-bearing organs exist in fire-prone systems (Pausas et al, 2018) and their position and bud position on them can determine survival after fire (e.g. Gonzalez et al, 2015). Among grasses, fire causes higher mortality in caespitose than in rhizomatous species as their buds are typically closer to the soil surface, where fuel is concentrated (Busso et al, 1993;.…”

Section: Firementioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology and significance of below-ground bud banks in plants

2019

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BackgroundBelow-ground bud banks have experienced much recent interest due to discoveries that they (1) account for the majority of seasonal population renewal in many communities, (2) are crucial to regeneration following disturbance, and (3) have important consequences for plant population dynamics and plant and ecosystem function across a number of habitats.ScopeThis review presents an overview of the role of bud banks in plant population renewal, examines bud bank life history, summarizes bud bank traits and their potential ecological implications, synthesizes the response of bud banks to disturbance, and highlights gaps to guide future research. The characteristics and life history of buds, including their natality, dormancy, protection and longevity, provide a useful framework for advancing our understanding of bud banks. The fate of buds depends on their age, size, type, location, and biotic and abiotic factors that collectively regulate bud bank dynamics. A bud bank can provide a demographic storage effect stabilizing population dynamics, and also confer resistance to disturbance and invasion. Regeneration capacity following disturbance is determined by interactions among the rates of bud natality, depletion and dormancy (meristem limitation), and the resources available to support the regeneration process. The resulting response of plants and their bud banks to disturbances such as fire, herbivory and anthropogenic sources determines the community’s regenerative capacity.ConclusionsVegetation responses to environmental change may be mediated through changes in bud bank dynamics and phenology. Environmental change that depletes the bud bank or prohibits its formation likely results in a loss of vegetation resilience and plant species diversity. Standardization of bud sampling, examination of bud banks in more ecosystems and their response to environmental variation and disturbance regimes, employment of stage-structured bud bank modelling and evaluation of the cost of bud bank construction and maintenance will benefit this expanding field of research.

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Section: Firementioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology and significance of below-ground bud banks in plants

2019

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“…This increase in stems could present a problem from a management standpoint due to the likely increase in future flower and fruit production (Bond and Midgley 2001;Kauffmann 1991). Even though none of the P. calleryana trees surveyed at Arrowhead Prairie produced flowers, an increase in the number of flower-producing stems could cause an increase in the number of future trees in the prairie (Gonzalez et al 2015). However, if any of the trees were at flowering ages, fire would have destroyed flower buds (Bond and Midgley 2001).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, if any of the trees were at flowering ages, fire would have destroyed flower buds (Bond and Midgley 2001). Potentially, fire may have artificially reduced the maturation stage of trees by forcing regrowth and delaying flower production (Gonzalez et al 2015;Kauffmann 1991). Post-fire tree heights were significantly shorter than pre-fire, but root collar diameter did not change.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) Response to Fire in a Managed Prairie Ecosystem

Warrix

Marshall

2018

Invasive plant sci. manag.

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Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana Decne.) was introduced to North America as an ornamental tree in the early 1900s. Due to widespread planting, P. calleryana has become common throughout the eastern United States and has invaded natural areas, especially disturbed areas. Prescribed fire is a common management technique in prairie ecosystems to mimic natural disturbances. We tested the effectiveness of prescribed fire as a control technique for P. calleryana in a managed prairie system. Fire top-killed all established P. calleryana individuals. However, these individuals responded to fire with 3 to 4 epicormic sprouts each. Similar sprouting behavior occurred in 2-yr-old seedlings. Exposed seeds, fruits, and 1-yr-old seedlings were killed by fire. Established P. calleryana were single-stemmed individuals before exposure to fire. After the prescribed fire, they all were multistemmed, which increased the potential flower-bearing stems within the prairie. We conclude that fire alone is not a suitable technique for managing P. calleryana invasion. Cut and herbicide application methods are labor-intensive. However, combining cut and spray methods with prescribed fire may be effective. Fire removes standing grass and forb biomass, leaving exposed P. calleryana stems, which would make locating individuals and directly applying herbicides easier.

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“…In less compact plants, residence time of fire is low, and bud meristem tissue can survive and resprout even after wildfires of high intensity (Gonzalez et al, 2015a,b). Nassauvia axillaris had high heat released (i.e., flame height and temperature) and the comparatively highest proportion of coarse fuel load that allow long combustion, could develop severe wildfires if the high temperature damaged buds of nearby species (Pausas et al, 2012;Gonzalez et al, 2015b). Nassauvia axillaris itself could probably survive due to the position of bud, near of soil surface or slightly buried (Ghermandi, personal communication), however, little is known about the postfire strategy of shrubs that dominate the LBNP.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire hazard assessment at different scales in the wildland-urban interface of semiarid areas of northern Patagonia

Gonzalez¹,

Aller²,

Ghermandi³

2022

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires have increased in the last decades, putting lives and homes at risk, and fire hazard assessment is a useful tool to develop plans for prevention and fire management. In northwestern Patagonia, the WUI areas are principally located around the urbanized zones that are not only cities or towns but settlements surrounded by the natural environment. In Patagonia, there are the largest and most ancient national parks of Argentina with areas where former settlers develop their livestock activities. We assessed the fire hazard in the Laguna Blanca National Park (LBNP) located in Neuquén province (Patagonia, Argentina) dominated by steppe vegetation. We performed the study at two scales: community and species. Community scale comprised the variables vegetation cover, slope, and rock fragments, whereas species scale included flammability variables of dominant species (tussock grasses and shrubs) at leaf- and plant-level. We integrated all variables at different scales and grouped the vegetation units into three classes using multivariate analysis. Finally, we established three fire hazard categories for each vegetation unit: low, moderate, and high, to elaborate a fire hazard map. Three vegetation units, which represented 37% of the area of the park, were categorized with high fire hazard because of the high cover and horizontal continuity of dominant vegetation. The tussock grass Pappostipa speciosa and the shrubs Mulinum spinosum, Nassauvia axillaris, and Anarthorphyllum rigidum were the most flammable species and the most frequent species in the park. Land uses in the park (i.e., transhumance and tourism) would be regulated with the collaboration of settlers because increase the vulnerability to wildfires. Our fire hazard map constitutes a valuable tool because it identified the most vulnerable WUI in the LBNP. This study emphasizes the need to include flammability and fuel load studies in fire management plans to better protect human lives and natural resources in protected areas.

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Growth and reproductive post-fire responses of two shrubs in semiarid Patagonian grasslands

Cited by 14 publications

References 61 publications

The ecology and significance of below-ground bud banks in plants

The ecology and significance of below-ground bud banks in plants

Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) Response to Fire in a Managed Prairie Ecosystem

Fire hazard assessment at different scales in the wildland-urban interface of semiarid areas of northern Patagonia

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