What happens when fire is too early? Observations of fire‐stimulated fruit opening releasing underdeveloped seeds for an endemic Cerrado shrub

Abstract

The relation of fire with the reproductive process of species from tropical grasslands and savannas has long been investigated. Post‐fire flowering is well documented in the Cerrado, but fire‐mediated fruit opening and seed dispersal has rarely been described, with very few historical records being known. Even less is known about the effects of different fire seasons on species reproduction. Here, we describe the fire‐stimulated fruit opening of Jacaranda ulei, an endemic Cerrado shrub with medical importance to traditional communities. We show that fruits opened within 2 weeks after an early dry season fire, but there were almost no viable seeds as fruits were still immature when burned. When put together with the known records for other species, dry dehiscent fruits and anemochory arise as common traits that favour fire‐mediated fruit opening. As these are common attributes in the Cerrado, it is possible that several other species also have fire‐stimulated seed dispersal but remain vastly unnoticed and underreported in the literature. Additionally, the peak reproductive effort of these species coincides with the period of prescribed burns of the Integrated Fire Management Program and, consequently, several species could also have their reproductive cycle interrupted to disperse immature seeds. We hope our note encourages further studies on the fire‐mediated fruit opening and seed dispersal of Cerrado species, particularly in relation to fire season and seed quality.