Effects of fire regime on plant species richness and composition differ among forest,woodland and heath vegetation |
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| Authors: | Claire N Foster Philip S Barton Christopher I MacGregor Jane A Catford Wade Blanchard David B Lindenmayer |
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| Institution: | 1. Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;2. Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;3. The National Environmental Science Program, Threatened Species Recovery Hub and the Long‐term Ecological Research Network, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;4. School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia;5. Biological Sciences, Highfield Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK |
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| Abstract: | Question Do the effects of fire regimes on plant species richness and composition differ among floristically similar vegetation types? Location Booderee National Park, south‐eastern Australia. Methods We completed floristic surveys of 87 sites in Sydney Coastal dry sclerophyll vegetation, where fire history records have been maintained for over 55 years. We tested for associations between different aspects of the recent fire history and plant species richness and composition, and whether these relationships were consistent among structurally defined forest, woodland and heath vegetation types. Results The relationship between fire regime variables and plant species richness and composition differed among vegetation types, despite the three vegetation types having similar species pools. Fire frequency was positively related to species richness in woodland, negatively related to species richness in heath, and unrelated to species richness in forest. These different relationships were explained by differences in the associations between fire history and species traits among vegetation types. The negative relationship between fire frequency and species richness in heath vegetation was underpinned by reduced occurrence of resprouting species at high fire frequency sites (more than four fires in 55 years). However, in forest and woodland vegetation, resprouting species were not negatively associated with fire frequency. Conclusions We hypothesize that differing relationships among vegetation types were underpinned by differences in fire behaviour, and/or biotic and abiotic conditions, leading to differences in plant species mortality and post‐fire recovery among vegetation types. Our findings suggest that even when there is a high proportion of shared species between vegetation types, fires can have very different effects on vegetation communities, depending on the structural vegetation type. Both research and management of fire regimes may therefore benefit from considering vegetation types as separate management units. |
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| Keywords: | community composition competition disturbance regime dry sclerophyll vegetation fire frequency fire management species richness Sydney Coastal Forest Sydney Coastal Heath |
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