Post-Fire Demography, Growth, and Control of Eucalyptus globulus Wildlings
| Autor: | Luís Queirós, Joaquim S. Silva, Mauro Nereu, Cláudio Jesús, Ernesto Deus, Simão Pinho |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Maximum temperature biology Range (biology) Forestry lcsh:QK900-989 seedling establishment biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences wildfire seedling growth Eucalyptus globulus Disturbance (ecology) herbicide Evapotranspiration lcsh:Plant ecology Growth rate Control methods 010606 plant biology & botany Demography plant invasion |
| Zdroj: | Forests, Vol 12, Iss 156, p 156 (2021) Forests Volume 12 Issue 2 |
| ISSN: | 1999-4907 |
| Popis: | Several eucalypt species are known for their capacity to massively regenerate through seeds in recently burned areas, becoming an ecological problem in regions where the species is not native. Here we study the demography and the development of highly dense Eucalyptus globulus wildling populations established one year after a fire and test two methods to control these populations. We monitored five mixed E. globulus stands along one year, in Central Portugal. We established a set of plots in each stand, with three treatments: mechanical cutting, herbicide spraying and no disturbance (control plots). Herbicide was applied in four concentrations. We tagged randomly selected plants in the control plots to monitor their growth. The initial mean wildling density was 322,000 plants ha−1, the highest ever recorded in the introduced range. Wildling density was significantly dependent on the density of surrounding adult E. globulus trees. Wildling density in control plots decreased 30% in one year, although showing positive variations over time because of new recruitment. Despite seasonal growth differences, wildlings showed a high growth rate throughout the year, reaching 15.6 cm month−1 in the summer. The growth rate of tagged wildings was positively affected by solar radiation and negatively affected by evapotranspiration and maximum temperature. Mechanical cutting reduced wildling density by 97% while herbicide reached results between 80% for the lowest concentration and 99% for the highest concentration. Herbicide-treated plants were more likely to resprout than cut plants. Regardless of the control method adopted (cutting or herbicide), management strategies should include the follow-up of the treated areas, to detect the establishment of new recruits and resprouting. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|