Temporal changes in species composition in Fescue Prairie: relationships with burning history, time of burning, and environmental conditions

Abstract

Historically, fires occurred throughout the year in the Fescue Prairie of Canada, but little is known about plant community responses to burning at different times of the year. Composition of plant communities was determined annually for 6 years after burning one or three times in a remnant Fescue Prairie in central Saskatchewan. A multiple-response permutation procedure indicated that plant community composition was different in the two burning histories (P \ 0.001) and among times of burning (P \ 0.001). Variables related to plant community composition after burning were evaluated using Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling. Three gradients explained 86% of the variation in composition of plant communities. Environmental conditions leading up to burning and at the time of burning correlated poorly with species composition. Differences in composition of plant communities were attributed primarily to burning history, cumulative precipitation in the 12 months before sampling, cumulative coldstress days in the 12 months before sampling, coldstress days in March and April, and months since burning. Plant communities burned once responded negatively to increasing cold-stress days while those burned three times responded positively to cold-stress days. Cover of Festuca hallii and Symphoricarpos occidentalis was 88 and 350% greater after one burn as compared to three burns, whereas cover of Carex obtusata, Carex pensylvanica, and Elymus lanceolatus was 126, 53, and 220% greater after three burns than after one burn. Festuca hallii, Galium boreale, Pulsatilla patens ssp. multifida, Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Symphyotrichum ericoides had the highest indicator value of a single burn; Carex obtusata, Elymus lanceolatus, and Koeleria macrantha had the greatest indicator values for sites burned three times. Longer-term effects of burning history exert a strong influence on plant community composition while short-term conditions after burning, namely, precipitation and cold-stress days, appear important in controlling species responses and composition of plant communities in Fescue Prairie.

Variations in the Life Cycle of Anemone patens L. (Ranunculaceae) in Wild Populations of Canada

“…This study shows that the distribution of clumps and their age in A. patens vary substantially depending on vegetation type and level of disturbance. This is adding to the evidence that A. patens grows very well in grazed and regularly burned prairies [ 40 , 63 ] and remnants of native grasslands in urban areas [ 42 ] of North America. According to Bruynooghe and Macdonald [ 63 ], A. patens can be an indicator of overgrazing in some prairie types.…”

“…Wildeman and Steeves [ 38 ] reported the results of a detailed analysis of seasonal morphological changes and patterns of bud development in the species. Some authors studied the effect of spring fire on flower bud survival [ 39 ] and the response of A. patens to the time of burning [ 40 ]. Williams and Crone [ 41 ] emphasized the impact of invasive grasses on the population growth of A. patens .…”

Replacing Hay-mowing with Prescribed Fire Restores Species Diversity and Conservation Value in a Tallgrass Prairie Sampled Thrice: A 59-Year Study

“…For example, late-season burns conducted under moister conditions may result in much more patchy burns, with far less consumption of moss, litter and woody fuels, than burns conducted during the peak of the summer drought, creating a heterogeneous landscape capable of hosting a more diverse set of species. Fire return interval plays a large role in prairie and oak woodland community structure and composition Bidwell 2007, Gross andRomo 2010). Similar to dry forests and shrublands of the western United States, many of the prairies and oak woodlands of the WPG Ecoregion have experienced fire exclusion over the past century, leading to altered species composition, fuel loading and fuel type Shaff 2003, Walsh et al 2010).…”

Land‐use history and an invasive grass affect tallgrass prairie sedge community composition

“…Other work shows above‐ground plant biomass – as well as community composition – is affected by annual variation in precipitation (Gibson & Hulbert ; Coppedge et al. ; Gross & Romo ), which likely explains year‐to‐year variation in our data. The 3 yr prior to our study averaged less rainfall than the 3‐yr study period – 952 mm v 1387 mm, respectively (IEM ) – and the increase in sedge abundance from 2008 to 2009 is likely attributable to plant recovery from drought.…”

“…; Clark ). Studies testing sedge response to prescribed fire in northern mixed‐grass prairie report variable species‐specific responses to different fire intervals and seasons (Gross & Romo ) and a neutral or reducing effect of fire on sedge abundance (Anderson & Bailey ; White & Currie ).…”