The effect of fire on an Acacia longifolia seed bank in the south-western Cape

Pieterse, P. J. S.; Cairns, A. L. P.

doi:10.1016/s0254-6299(16)31555-1

Cited by 58 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…These invasive plants are also fire adapted, and their ability to produce large numbers of seeds facilitates their proliferation and spread after fires. The inability of managers to deal effectively with very large numbers of seedlings that germinate after fire is a major obstacle to the successful control of these species (Pieterse andCairns 1986, Richardson andHiggins 1998). Invasive alien trees and shrubs increase biomass and add to fuel loads, leading to increased fire intensity and erosion (van Wilgen and Scott 2001).…”

Section: Fire and Invasive Alien Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Management of Fire-Adapted Ecosystems in an Urban Setting: the Case of Table Mountain National Park, South Africa

Wilgen¹,

Forsyth²,

Prins³

2012

E&S

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ABSTRACT. The Table Mountain National Park is a 265-km² conservation area embedded within a city of 3.5 million people. The highly diverse and unique vegetation of the park is both fire prone and fire adapted, and the use of fire forms an integral part of the ecological management of the park. Because fires are both necessary and dangerous, fire management is characterized by uncertainty and conflict. The response of vegetation to fire is reasonably well understood, but the use of fire for conservation purposes remains controversial because of key gaps in understanding. These gaps include whether or not the vegetation is resilient to increases in fire frequency, how to deal with fire-sensitive forests embedded in fire-prone shrublands, and how to integrate fire and invasive alien plant control. National legislation emphasizes the need to protect communities from dangerous wildfires, and this compels fire managers to adopt a cautious approach to the application of fire. Ecological outcomes are optimized under a fire regime of relatively high-intensity, dry-season fires. Obtaining permission to burn under such conditions is not possible, and so the practice of prescribed burning is constrained, and this results in a fire regime dominated by wildfires. Ecological uncertainties, and the divergent requirements for maintaining healthy ecosystems on the one hand, and ensuring human safety on the other, result in a complex fire management environment. These complexities could be, and in some cases are being, alleviated by raising awareness, increasing fire management capacity, improving ecological monitoring of the effects of fire, and prioritizing areas for integrated fire and invasive alien plant management.

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Section: Fire and Invasive Alien Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Management of Fire-Adapted Ecosystems in an Urban Setting: the Case of Table Mountain National Park, South Africa

Wilgen¹,

Forsyth²,

Prins³

2012

E&S

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“…Leaf miner 1996 Gordon (2011) Regular sampling of A. cyclops soil seed banks has shown that there has been a significant decline in densities (by about an order of magnitude at some sites) since the introduction of the weevil and the midge (Hoffmann et al, unpubl.). Fires are a major driver of seed bank dynamics in areas infested with invasive alien acacias (Pieterse and Cairns 1986;van Wilgen and Holmes 1986;Holmes et al 1987;Hoffmann et al unpubl.). Immediately after fire, seed numbers in the soil decline to low levels because a considerable proportion of the accumulated seeds are scorched (Pieterse and Cairns 1986;Holmes 2002).…”

Section: Acacia Cyclopsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fires are a major driver of seed bank dynamics in areas infested with invasive alien acacias (Pieterse and Cairns 1986;van Wilgen and Holmes 1986;Holmes et al 1987;Hoffmann et al unpubl.). Immediately after fire, seed numbers in the soil decline to low levels because a considerable proportion of the accumulated seeds are scorched (Pieterse and Cairns 1986;Holmes 2002). Dormancy in the surviving seeds is broken by the heat of the fire and they germinate en masse with the onset of rainfall.…”

Section: Acacia Cyclopsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation of the fynbos biome in the Cape Floral Region: the role of biological control in the management of invasive alien trees

Moran

Hoffmann

2011

BioControl

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Fynbos is a vegetation type in the Cape Floral Region (CFR), at the southern tip of Africa. Portions of the CFR are recognised as a 'serial' World Heritage site and acclaimed by UNESCO as the world's 'hottest hot spot' for plant species richness and endemism. Habitat degradation and species losses through human intrusion in the CFR include transformations brought about by introduced invasive alien tree species. Since 1970, ten invasive tree species in the fynbos biome have been subjected to biological control, namely: six Acacia species and Paraserianthes lophantha (Mimosaceae), Hakea sericea (Proteaceae) and Leptospermum laevigatum (Myrtaceae), all from Australia, and Sesbania punicea (Fabaceae) from South America. A total of 19 species have been deployed as biological control agents, including nine weevil species (eight Curculionidae and one species in the family Brentidae: Apioninae), a seed-feeding moth species (Lepidoptera: Carposinidae), two species of bud-gallers (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), two species of flower-gallers (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), and a gall-forming rust fungus (Uredinales: Pileolariaceae).Most of these agents primarily reduce seed production, directly or indirectly, but some also cause die-back and mortality of their host plants. The overall result, often in combination with mechanical clearing and herbicide applications, has been a substantial decline in the abundance and/or aggressiveness of most of the targeted host-plants. In this review, four representative but contrasting case studies are used to show that biological control is an indispensible supplement to other management practices for long-term conservation of the remnants of the fynbos biome.

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“…Woody taxa with soil-stored seed include many members of the Fabaceae, a family known for its hard-seeded character, such as Acacia, Bossiaea, Dillwynia, Daviesia, Kennedia, and Pultenaea (Floyd 1966, Warcup 1980, Pieterse and Cairns 1986, Bell et al 1993. Leptospermum (Myrtaceae) includes species that are serotinous and others that are nonserotinous; the latter species are hard-seeded and form a persistent seed bank.…”

Section: Soil-stored Seedsmentioning

confidence: 99%