Post-Fire Recovery in Coastal Sage Scrub: Seed Rain and Community Trajectory
| Autor: | Rebecca M. Swab, Erin Conlisk, Matthew P. Daugherty, Alejandra Martínez-Berdeja |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Time Factors 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences lcsh:Medicine Invasive Species Plant Science Asteraceae 01 natural sciences California Wildfires Human Activities Salvia lcsh:Science Multidisciplinary Biotic component biology Geography Ecology Plant Anatomy Coastal sage scrub Community structure food and beverages Plants Community Ecology Seeds Forb Engineering and Technology Research Article Conservation of Natural Resources Plant Development Poaceae 010603 evolutionary biology Fires Species Specificity Species Colonization Humans Ecosystem Grasses Community Structure Plant Communities 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Plant Ecology lcsh:R Ecology and Environmental Sciences Organisms Biology and Life Sciences Plant community biology.organism_classification Polygonaceae Fire Engineering Plant cover Environmental science lcsh:Q Species richness Shrubs Introduced Species |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 11, Iss 9, p e0162777 (2016) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | Disturbance is a primary mechanism structuring ecological communities. However, human activity has the potential to alter the frequency and intensity of natural disturbance regimes, with subsequent effects on ecosystem processes. In Southern California, human development has led to increased fire frequency close to urban areas that can form a positive feedback with invasive plant spread. Understanding how abiotic and biotic factors structure post-fire plant communities is a critical component of post-fire management and restoration. In this study we considered a variety of mechanisms affecting post-fire vegetation recovery in Riversidean sage scrub. Comparing recently burned plots to unburned plots, we found that burning significantly reduced species richness and percent cover of exotic vegetation the first two years following a 100-hectare wildfire. Seed rain was higher in burned plots, with more native forb seeds, while unburned plots had more exotic grass seeds. Moreover, there were significant correlations between seed rain composition and plant cover composition the year prior and the year after. Collectively, this case study suggests that fire can alter community composition, but there was not compelling evidence of a vegetation-type conversion. Instead, the changes in the community composition were temporary and convergence in community composition was apparent within two years post-fire. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|