Speedy blooming in Cerrado after fire is not uncommon: New records of Cyperaceae species flowering 24 h after burning

Pilon, Natashi A. L.; Freire, Camila T. R.; Oliveira‐Alves, Maria Júlia; Oliveira, Rafael S.

doi:10.1111/aec.13326

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Recent studies have shown that even a small amount of leaf damage may induce a significant increase in flowering [ 54 ], and the removal of the dry leaves (except for the leaf base) also stimulated flowering of B . paraxoda similar to the recently reported for Rhynchospora confusa (Cyperaceae) [ 55 ]. Bulbostylis paradoxa has a shallow root system, and does not have a prostrate architecture suggesting that the species did not evolve under intense grazer pressure [ 56 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Yet, as the fire-stimulated flowering is independent of fire season, the changes in fire regime imposed by anthropogenic fires might significantly impact the benefits of such adaptation. Therefore, we propose that plant damage by fire or another agent might also trigger, in other herbaceous layer species, a multi-response process, as recently reported by Pilon et al [ 55 ] which observed a single individual of R . confusa half-mowed flowering in an unburned area.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…paradoxa plants in unburned areas can ensure genetic variability, population persistence, and site occupancy. The observed stimulation of flowering by fire is an adaptive response to damage of the aerial parts that is modulated by the amount of damage inflicted to the plant as shown by Coutinho [ 23 ] and Haddad and Válio [ 1 ] for Lantana montevidensis and by Pilon et al [ 55 ] for R . confusa , Cerrado`s herbaceous species, or for plant communities as reported by Araújo et al [ 21 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Beyond fire: Flower production naturally occurs and is also influenced by leaf removal in a Neotropical savanna herb

Miranda,

Togni,

Dantas-Junior

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Several herbaceous species exhibit mass flowering after fires in Neotropical savannas. However, unequivocal evidence of fire dependency and the consequences for plant reproduction are lacking. In nutrient-poor fire-prone savannas, the damage caused by fire and by other means (e.g., leaf removal, but not necessarily having a negative impact) constrains the maintenance and expansion of plant population by affecting the ability of individuals to recover. Therefore, the compensatory responses of plants to both damages should be convergent in such environments. Using Bulbostylis paradoxa–reported to be fire-dependent to flower–as a model, we investigated the role of fire and leaf removal in anticipating the flowering and reproduction periods, and its possible consequences on seedling establishment. We monitored 70 burned individuals, 70 damaged/clipped, and 35 without damage to estimate time for flowering, seed quality and germination parameters. To expand our sampling coverage, we examined high-resolution images from herbarium collections in the SpeciesLink database. For each herbarium image, we recorded the presence or absence of a fire scar, the month of flowering, and the number of flowering stalks. Bulbostylis paradoxa was fire-stimulated but not dependent on fire to flower, with 65.7% of the individuals flowering in the burned area, 48.6% in the clipped, and 11.4% in the control. This was consistent with the analysis of the herbarium images in which 85.7% of the specimens with flowers had fire scars and 14.3% did not. Burned individuals synchronized flowering and produced more viable seeds. However, the seeds might face a period of unsuitable ecological conditions after early to mid-dry season fires. Flowering of unburned plants was synchronized with the onset of the rainy season. Flexibility in flowering and vegetative reproduction by fragmentation confer to this species, and most likely other plants from the herbaceous layer, the capability of site occupation and population persistence in burned and unburned savanna sites.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Beyond fire: Flower production naturally occurs and is also influenced by leaf removal in a Neotropical savanna herb

Miranda,

Togni,

Dantas-Junior

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Fire effects on pollination and plant reproduction: a quantitative review

Carbone,

Tavella,

Marquez

et al. 2024

Annals of Botany

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Background and Aims Fire may favour plant flowering by opening the vegetation and increasing abiotic resource availability. Increased floral display size can attract more pollinators and increase the absolute fruit and seed production immediately after the fire. However, anthropogenic increases in fire frequency may alter these responses. We aim to assess the effects of fire on pollination and reproductive success of plants at the global scale. Methods We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analyses to examine overall fire effects as well as different fire parameters on pollination and on plant reproduction. We also explored to what extent the responses vary among pollinators, pollination vectors, plant regeneration strategies, compatibility systems, vegetation types and biomes. Key Results Most studies were conducted in fire-prone ecosystems. Overall, single fires increased pollination and plant reproduction but this effect was overridden by recurrent fires. Floral visitation rates of pollinators were enhanced immediately following a wildfire, and especially in bee-pollinated plants. Fire increased the absolute production of fruits or seeds but not the fruit or seed set. The reproductive benefits were mostly observed in wind-pollinated (graminoids), herbaceous and resprouter species. Finally, fire effects on pollination were positively correlated with fire effects on plant reproductive success. Conclusions Fire has a central role in pollination and plant sexual reproduction in fire-prone ecosystems. The increase in the absolute production of fruits and seeds suggests that fire benefits on plant reproduction are likely driven by increased abiotic resources and the consequent floral display size. However, reproduction efficiency, as measured by fruit or seed set, does not increase with fire. In contrast, when assessed on the same plant simultaneously, fire effects on pollination are translated into reproduction. Increased fire frequency due to anthropogenic changes can alter the nature of the response to fire.

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Fire facilitates ground layer plant diversity in a Miombo ecosystem

Wieczorkowski,

Lehmann,

Archibald

et al. 2024

Annals of Botany

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Background and Aims Little is known about the response of ground layer plant communities to fire in Miombo ecosystems, which is a global blind spot of ecological understanding. We aim to (i) assess the impact of three experimentally imposed fire treatments on ground layer species composition, and compare it with patterns observed for trees; and (ii) analyse the effect of fire treatments on species richness to assess how responses differ among plant functional groups. Methods At a 60-year-long fire experiment in Zambia, we quantified the richness and diversity of ground layer plants in terms of taxa and functional groups across three experimental fire treatments of late dry-season fire, early dry-season fire, and fire exclusion. Data were collected in five repeat surveys from the onset of the wet season to the early dry season. Key Results Of the 140 ground layer species recorded across the three treatments, fire-maintained treatments contributed most of the richness and diversity, with the least number of unique species found at the No-fire treatment. The Early-fire treatment was more similar in composition to the No-fire treatment than to the Late-fire treatment. C4 grass and geoxyle richness were highest in the Late-fire treatment, and there were no shared sedge species between the Late-fire and other treatments. At a plot level, the average richness in the Late-fire treatment was twice that of the fire exclusion treatment. Conclusions Heterogeneity in fire seasonality and intensity supports diversity of a unique flora by providing a diversity of local environments. African ecosystems face rapid expansion of land and fire management schemes for carbon offsetting and sequestration. We demonstrate that analyses of the impacts of such schemes predicated on the tree flora alone will highly likely underestimate impacts on biodiversity. A research priority must be a new understanding of the Miombo ground layer flora integrated into policy and land management.

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Speedy blooming in Cerrado after fire is not uncommon: New records of Cyperaceae species flowering 24 h after burning

Cited by 5 publications

References 14 publications

Beyond fire: Flower production naturally occurs and is also influenced by leaf removal in a Neotropical savanna herb

Beyond fire: Flower production naturally occurs and is also influenced by leaf removal in a Neotropical savanna herb

Fire effects on pollination and plant reproduction: a quantitative review

Fire facilitates ground layer plant diversity in a Miombo ecosystem

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