Seed Origin and Protection Are Important Factors Affecting Post-Fire Initial Recruitment in Pine Forest Areas

Abstract

Abstract:Initial seedling recruitment is one of the most critical stages for plants in the Mediterranean basin. Moreover, wildfires and post-fire environmental conditions might deteriorate regeneration success, which can lead to problems for sustainable forest restoration and forest persistence. On this context, different seed origins and pine species may be better adapted to new environmental conditions remaining after forest fires and seed protection might modulate seedling initial recruitment. This study evaluates the effects of seed origin (Pinus nigra Arn. subsp. salzmannii Dunal (Franco) from lowland, midland and upland distribution areas), pine species (Pinus pinaster Aiton, Pinus sylvestris L. and Pinus nigra Arn. subsp. salzmannii Dunal (Franco)) and seed protection on seed emergence and early seedling survival after forest fires in the Cuenca Mountains. In addition, a greenhouse experiment was set up under controlled conditions to test seedling performance and to compare initial seedling growth of different P. nigra seed origins growing in field and greenhouse conditions. Results showed that wetter spring seasons and P. nigra seed origins from midland and upland distribution growing in their natural habitat distribution perform better that P. sylvestris and P. pinaster. Seed protection is an important factor modulating the above-mentioned trend. P. nigra seeds growing at the greenhouse experiment showed differences in growth for extreme (upland or lowland) P. nigra distribution.

From Seed to Seedling: Influence of Seed Geographic Provenance and Germination Treatments on Reproductive Material Represented by Seedlings of Robinia pseudoacacia

“…The height of the seedlings in the last year of investigation was statistically inferior in Bistrit , a-Năsăud provenance. The small height compared with the other provenances may have been due either to consanguinity among the seedlings, or could have been influenced by the origin of the seeds, which may have been collected from other trees that were not correctly selected or were genetically debilitated [49][50][51].…”

Ecological Impact of Forest Fires and Subsequent Restoration in Chile

“…Ideally, both strategies could be implemented. Sources of information include ecological descriptions, site maps, list of species, historical and current photographs, biological studies and paleoecology [26].…”

Fertilization and Shading Trials to Promote Pinus nigra Seedlings’ Nursery Growth under the Climate Change Demands

“…Based on the available data, the recurrence of large wildfires is threatening the conservation of P. nigra ecosystems, as very little natural regeneration occurs in these species' forests after wildfires. Because the black pine is a non-serotinous pine, and because it has no adaptive mechanisms to crown fires, the natural regeneration of the species is limited to a short distance from the unburnt stands [3,10,12]. Seed dispersal models have shown that the natural regeneration of the black pine occurs at distances no greater than 100 m, depending on the following factors: the side seeding potential, site characteristics (soil fertility, moisture, slope, etc.…”