Dispersal and recruitment dynamics in the fleshy‐fruited Persoonia lanceolata (Proteaceae)

Question: What is the role of dispersal, persistent soil seed banks and seedling recruitment in population persistence of fleshy‐fruited obligate seeding plant species in fire‐prone habitats? Location: Southeastern Australia. Methods: We used a long‐term study of a shrubby, fleshy‐fruited Persoonia species (Proteaceae) to examine (1) seed removal from beneath the canopy of adult plants; (2) seedling recruitment after fire; (3) the magnitude and location of the residual soil seed bank; and (4) the implications for fire management of obligate seeding species. We used demographic sampling techniques combined with Generalised Linear Modelling and regression to quantify population changes over time. Results: Most of the mature fruits (90%) on the ground below the canopy of plants were removed by Wallabia bicolor (Swamp wallaby) with 88% of seeds extracted from W. bicolor scats viable and dormant. Wallabies play an important role in moving seeds away from parent plants. Their role in occasional long distance dispersal events remains unknown. We detected almost no seed predation in situ under canopies (< 1%). Seedling recruitment was cued to fire, with post‐fire seedling densities 6‐7 times pre‐fire adult densities. After fire, a residual soil seed bank was present, as many seeds (77‐100%) remained dormant and viable at a soil depth where successful future seedling emergence is possible (0‐5 cm). Seedling survival was high (> 80%) with most mortality within 2 years of emergence. Plant growth averaged 17 cm per year. The primary juvenile period of plants was 7–8 years, within the period of likely return fire intervals in the study area. We predicted that the study population increased some five‐fold after the wildfire at the site. Conclusions: Residual soil seed banks are important, especially in species with long primary juvenile periods, to buffer the populations against the impact of a second fire occurring before the seed bank is replenished.     

How much seed remains in the soil after a fire?

Soil seed banks that persist after a fire are important in fire-prone habitats as they minimise the risk of decline or local extinction in plants, should the fire-free interval be less than the primary juvenile periods of the species. In two common woody plant genera (Acacia and Grevillea) in southeastern Australia, we examined the size and location of the residual seed bank after fire across areas of varying seedling densities at three locations in comparison to the distribution of seeds in the soil at an unburnt site. We found viable dormant seeds remaining in the soil after fire (evidence of residual soil seed bank). A significantly lower proportion of seeds remained in the top 5 cm of soil than at 5–10 cm or 10–15 cm soil depths, independent of seedling density or plant genus. This was due to greater germination, and possibly some seed mortality, near the soil surface. Reduced germination below 5 cm was probably due to the reduced efficacy of the fire cues that break seed dormancy, a declining ability of seeds to emerge successfully from such depths, and the lower abundance of seeds in the soil at such depths. The magnitude of the residual seed bank was similar across 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 cm soil depths in Acacia suaveolens. For two Grevillea species, most residual seeds were at 0–5 and 5–10 cm. The residual soil seed bank in the top 10 cm of soil after fire varied across sites with estimates of 0, 19 and 27% in G. speciosa and 23, 35, and 55% in A. suaveolens. At two sites, both species had similar residual seed bank sizes, while at a third, there were large differences between the species (0–55%). The observed patterns imply that the fire-related cues that break seed dormancy generally declined with soil depth. For Acacia, seed dormancy is broken by heat shock, a fire-cue that declines with soil depth. Some 250 species (approx 15% of the fire-prone flora) in the region are thought to have dormancy broken by heat shock. For Grevillea, where seed dormancy is broken by the interaction of smoke and heat shock, at two sites, we suggest three possibilities: (i) the smoke cue declined with soil depth; (ii) both heat and smoke are obligatory for breaking seed dormancy; or (iii) the cues may be independent and additive and below the zone of soil heating, only a proportion of available seeds had dormancy broken by smoke alone. At a third site (no residual seed bank detected) the smoke cue was predicted not to have declined with soil depth. Up to 900 species (just under half the fire-prone flora) in the study region are thought to have seed dormancy broken by the interaction of heat and smoke during the passage of a fire.     

Spatial variation of seedling distribution in an east Mediterranean pine woodland at the beginning of post-fire succession

Most of the area in pine woodlands is occupied by perennial seeders that regenerate from seeds in the first winter after the fire and by annuals. Control of the germination in the regenerating vegetation after wildfire is therefore a primary ecological component of the post-fire succession in this ecosystem. The aim of the study presented here was to determine the distribution of Pinus, Cistus and other plants seeds around burned Pinus halepensis trees, and to measure the conditions related to seed germination in the upper soil layers in the same locations. The study was carried out in a 50-year old planted Pinus halepensis woodland that was burned down by a wildfire in July 1995. The variation of seedbank density was determined by collecting samples under the canopies of burned trees and in a nearby open area. Pine seedbank density decreased and that of Cistus and annuals increased with increasing distance from the burned trunks. Most pine seeds were present in the ash layer while those of the other plants were in the soil. In situ germination experiments showed that seedling density decreased with distance from the burned trunks while the proportion of pines in the seedling population increased. This was a result of seedbank variation and germination inhibition by the high pH conditions caused by the ash. The establishment of sparse pine seedling under the dead tree canopies insured their rapid development without interference by other plants and played a key role in the regeneration and stability of the pine woodland community. The concomitant mass germination of the perennial seeders in the rest of the area prevented invasion by annuals.     

矮沙冬青种子特性和萌发影响因素的研究

 对矮沙冬青(Ammopiptanthus nanus)种子的特性和萌发影响因素进行了初步研究,结果表明：种子不易传播;虫蛀率高,室温贮藏60 d的种子虫害率为38%;易形成硬实,含水量为7.68%的种子在30 ℃温水中浸泡90 h,只有33.33%能吸水膨胀。种子萌发时不需光,在15～30 ℃和室温（18～32 ℃）条件下,经9 d的萌发,发芽率均可达80%以上,30℃时萌发最快;在1～2 cm深的沙壤中,种子出苗率可达75%以上,超过3 cm显著降低,超过6 cm则低于20%;种子在沙壤中萌发时,沙壤的适宜湿度为19.35%～28.75%,高于32.43%或低于3.85%,很少有种子萌发;含水量分别为19.36%、10.64% 和7.68%的种子发芽率无显著差异,在-10 ℃和5 ℃下贮藏7个月,发芽率也无显著降低,但在室温和35 ℃下贮藏7个月则显著下降,发芽率下降的速度与种子本身的含水量和贮藏温度正相关;在湿度分别为7.41%、13.79%和28.57%的沙壤中播种育苗,幼苗死亡率高达77.49%、81.25%和89.49%,即使用三唑酮拌种,死亡率亦高达50.27%、69.53%和76.03%,幼苗死亡率与沙壤湿度正相关。     

Dispersal by rodent caching increases seed survival in multiple ways in canopy‐fire ecosystems

Seed‐caching rodents have long been seen as important actors in dispersal ecology. Here, we focus on the interactions with plants in a fire‐disturbance community, specifically Arctostaphylos species (Ericaceae) in California chaparral. Although mutualistic relationships between caching rodents and plants are well studied, little is known how this type of relationship functions in a disturbance‐driven system, and more specifically to systems shaped by fire disturbance. By burying seeds in the soil, rodents inadvertently improve the probability of seed surviving high temperatures produced by fire. We test two aspects of vertical dispersal, depth of seed and multiple seeds in caches as two important dimensions of rodent‐caching behavior. We used a laboratory experimental approach to test seed survival under different heating conditions and seed bank structures. Creating a synthetic soil seed bank and synthetic fire/heating in the laboratory allowed us to have control over surface heating, depth of seed in the soil, and seed cache size. We compared the viability of Arctostaphylos viscida seeds from different treatment groups determined by these factors and found that, as expected, seeds slightly deeper in the soil had substantial increased chances of survival during a heating event. A key result was that some seeds within a cache in shallow soil could survive fire even at a depth with a killing heat pulse compared to isolated seeds; temperature measurements indicated lower temperatures immediately below caches compared to the same depth in adjacent soil. These results suggest seed caching by rodents increases seed survival during fire events in two ways, that caches disrupt heat flow or that caches are buried below the heat pulse kill zone. The context of natural disturbance drives the significance of this mutualism and further expands theory regarding mutualisms into the domain of disturbance‐driven systems.     

Fire increases aboveground biomass, seed production and recruitment success of Molinia caerulea in dry heathland

During the last decades, the perennial tussock grass Molinia caerulea has shown an increased abundance in European heathlands, most likely as a result of increased nitrogen deposition and altered management schemes. Because of its deciduous nature, Molinia produces large amounts of litter each year, which may affect the intensity and frequency of accidental fires in heathlands. These fires may influence plant population dynamics and heathland community organization through their effects on plant vital attributes and competitive interactions. In this study, fire-induced changes in competitive ability and invasiveness of Molinia through changes in biomass production, seed set and seed germination under both natural and laboratory conditions were investigated. We found that fire significantly increased aboveground biomass, seed set and germination of Molinia. Seed set was twice as high in burned compared to unburned heathland. Two years after fire, seedling densities in natural conditions were on average six times higher in burned than in unburned heathland, which resulted in increased abundance of Molinia after burning. The seed germination experiment indicated that seeds harvested from plants in burned heathland showed higher germination rates than those from unburned heathland. Hence, our results clearly demonstrate increased invasive spread of Molinia after large and intense fires. Active management guidelines are required to prevent further encroachment of Molinia and to lower the probability of large fires altering the heathland community in the future.     

Fire,canopy cover and seedling dynamics in Mediterranean shrubland of northeastern Spain

Abstract. Seedling establishment and survival of the main woody species of early-successional shrubland in northeastern Spain were studied from 1992 to 1995 with emphasis on the importance of vegetation cover (existence of open areas and the situation beneath the plant canopy) and microhabitat (occurrence of stones, litter and bare soil). In the absence of fire, vegetation cover (measured at a scale of 30cm × 30 cm) was not correlated with seedling emergence of most species, nor with growth and survival of seedlings up to one year old. Seedlings older than one year showed a similar pattern: their density was not significantly different in both kinds of habitats. The emergence of seedlings was mainly associated with the presence of mature plants – which can provide seeds – and with the absence of unsuitable microhabitats (large stones, deep litter and bare soil). In April 1994 a wildfire burned the study area. This enabled a study of the pattern of post-fire establishment. After the wildfire, seedling emergence of several species increased and most species produced seedlings with higher survival and growth rates than in the period before the fire. Pre-fire cover, however, did not show significant effects on post-fire seedling dynamics in most cases.     

Seed predation limits post-fire recruitment in the waratah (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Telopea speciosissima</Emphasis>)

Seed predation may reduce recruitment in populations that are limited by the availability of seeds rather than microsites. Fires increase the availability of both seeds and microsites, but in plants that lack a soil- or canopy-stored seed bank, post-fire recruitment is often delayed compared to the majority of species. Pyrogenic flowering species, such as Telopea speciosissima, release their non-dormant seeds more than 1 year after fire, by which time seed predation and the availability of microsites may differ from that experienced by plants recruiting soon after fire. I assessed the role of post-dispersal seed predation in limiting seedling establishment after fire in T. speciosissima, in southeastern Australia. Using a seed-planting experiment, I manipulated vertebrate access to seeds and the combined cover of litter and vegetation within experimental microsites in the 2 years of natural seed fall after a fire. Losses to vertebrate and invertebrate seed predators were rapid and substantial, with 50% of seeds consumed after 2 months in exposed locations and after 5 months when vertebrates were excluded. After 7 months, only 6% of seeds or seedlings survived, even where vertebrates were excluded. Removing litter and vegetation increased the likelihood of seed predation by vertebrates, but had little influence on losses due to invertebrates. Microsites with high-density vegetation and litter cover were more likely to have seed survival or germination than microsites with low-density cover. Recruitment in pyrogenic flowering species may depend upon the release of seeds into locations where dense cover may allow them to escape from vertebrate predators. Even here, conditions suitable for germination must occur soon after seed release for seeds to escape from invertebrate predators. Seed production will also affect recruitment after any one fire, while the ability of some juvenile and most adult plants to resprout after fire buffers populations against rapid declines when there is little successful recruitment.     

Invasion of maritime chaparral by the introduced succulentCarpobrotus edulis

Invasion by the alien succulent,Carpobrotus edulis, has become a common occurrence after fire in maritime chaparral in coastal California, USA. We studied post-burnCarpobrotus establishment in chaparral that lackedCarpobrotus plants before the fire and compared seedbank and field populations in adjacent burned and unburned stands.Carpobrotus seeds were abundant in deer scat and in the soil before burning. Burning did not enhance germination: many seeds were apparently killed by fire and seed bank cores taken after fire revealed no germinable seeds. Laboratory tests showed that temperatures over 105°C for five minutes killedCarpobrotus seeds. In a field experiment involving use of herbivore exclosures, we found that herbivory was an important source of mortality for seedlings in both burned and unburned chaparral. All seedlings, however, died outside of the burn regardless of the presence of cages. Establishment there is apparently limited by factors affecting plant physiology. In the burned area, seedlings that escaped herbivory grew very rapidly. Overall, it appears that herbivory limited seedling establishment in both burned and unburned sites but that the post-burn soil environment supportedCarpobrotus growth in excess of herbivore use, thus promoting establishment.     

Fire and flood: Soil‐stored seed bank and germination ecology in the endangered Carrington Falls Grevillea (Grevillea rivularis,Proteaceae)

Abstract Seed germination is dependent on the interaction between the dormancy state of a seed and the presence of favourable environmental conditions. Thus, the spectacular pulse of seedling recruitment in many Australian vegetation communities following disturbances such as fire can be attributed to changes in microsite conditions and/or the dormancy‐breaking effect of the disturbance on accumulated seed banks. Grevillea rivularis is a threatened species endemic to the area immediately above Carrington Falls in the NSW Southern Highlands. Most of the population is confined to the riparian vegetation zone in woodland and heath, and is therefore subject to periodic disturbance from fire and flood. For this species, a pulse of seedling recruitment has been recorded after fire, flood and mechanical soil disturbance. The aims of this study were to examine the density and vertical distribution of the soil‐stored seed bank and to investigate the role of heat and scarification as cues for germination of fresh and soil‐stored seed. There was a large seed bank under the canopies of established individuals (194 ± 73 seeds m^?2) and most seeds were found in the 0–2 cm and leaf‐litter layers of the soil profile. The germination response of soil‐stored and fresh seed was examined using a hierarchical series of laboratory experiments. Seeds of G. rivularis showed marked dormancy polymorphism. Thirty‐six percent of soil‐stored seed germinated without treatment, whereas no untreated fresh seeds germinated. Scarification or heating caused significant germination of dormant soil‐stored seed, but only scarification resulted in germination of dormant fresh seeds. These results highlight important differences in the dormancy state of soil‐stored and fresh seed. Thus, being a riparian species in a fire‐prone environment, the dormancy mechanisms in seeds of G. rivularis suit this species to disturbance by both fire and flood.     

浙江天童灌丛植被的土壤种子库与幼苗库特征

采用野外样点取样和萌发实验相结合的办法,研究浙江天童灌丛植被的幼苗库和种子库。结果表明：种子库中优势种类主要是淡竹叶、芒、苔草等草本植物,其次为山矾、Ji木、白栎等灌木种类。在厚度为10cm的表层土壤中,枯枝落叶层、0．2cm层、2－4cm、4－10cm层的种子密度分别为125．0粒／m^2、134．3粒／m^2、84．6粒／m^2、62．7粒/m^2。幼苗库的优势种类不太集中,数量较多的种类有苦槠、紫金牛、淡竹叶等。     

Interaction Between “Safe Sites” and “Safe Sides” for Germination of Neurada procumbens (Neuradaceae) in the Middle East

The seed bank of Neurada procumbens, a prostrate annual common in sandy desert habitats, is vulnerable to surface disturbances. Moreover, its seeds are highly heteromorphic, having both spinose and non-spinose sides, which affects both the vertical distribution of seeds and diaspores, and the precise position in which they lie in the soil. Here we explore the ecological implications of two factors, “safe sites” within habitats and seed orientation or “safe sides”, on seedling establishment and the seed bank. In three natural populations, the vertical distribution of buried, germinable diaspores decreased with soil depth. Most diaspores occurred at the surface (0–1 cm below the surface), while none were observed below 10 cm. Seedling emergence decreased with depth and reached zero in diaspores below 5 cm. Seedling emergence also proved highly sensitive to the orientation of diaspores in soil. Diaspores lying on their smooth side with the spinose upper side directed upwards reached the highest seedling emergence of 61 %. Root length ranged from 10 to 16 cm, and the root to shoot ratio varied between 22.8 and 30.3 cm, depending on diaspore size. Diaspores near the surface may constitute a more transient component of the seed bank, as few of these remained viable for more than a year. Persistence of Neurada seed banks seems to depend not only on vertical movement of diaspores among habitat “safe sites” but also on different seed position alternatives.     

Life History Evolution in Amphicarpic Plants

Abstract Plants with dimorphic flowers or seeds provide excellent material for the study of life history evolution because the dimorphism often involves measurable differences in morphology, size, number, or genetic relatedness. For amphicarpic plants, the proportion of aerial: subterranean morphs produced is highly variable (from 0 to > 100) and related to both environmental and genetic factors. Plants from aerial seeds produce lower ratios of aerial: subterranean morphs than those from subterranean seeds. Despite substantial variation, subterranean seeds are generally heavier than aerial seeds (but fewer) and produce vigorous seedlings with high survivorship and high fitness. Adaptive advantages of subterranean seeds include retention of offspring in favorable parental microhabitats, protection of seeds from herbivory, predation, or fire, and avoidance of desiccating conditions on the soil surface; potential disadvantages include lack of gene exchange, high energy costs, limited dispersal, and sibling competition. For the few species studied, aerial reproduction is more plastic than subterranean reproduction and more likely to be affected by environmental conditions. Quantitative genetic analyses of a population of the annual grass Amphicarpum purshii have revealed lower heritabilites for subterranean relative to aerial reproductive traits. Subterranean seed number and mass show genetic correlations with shoot mass while aerial seed number and mass do not; seed set percentages of both seed types as well as percentage allocation to both reproductive morphs show negative genetic correlations with shoot mass. In this Amphicarpum population, directional selection on shoot mass may indirectly select for increased subterranean (but not aerial) seed output.     

文峪河上游华北落叶松林的种子雨、种子库与幼苗更新

华北落叶松林下更新不良,为探究其制约因素,开展了山西省文峪河上游5个华北落叶松林分的种子雨、土壤种子库和幼苗更新的研究。结果表明:(1)华北落叶松种子主要集中于9—10月散落。2011年为华北落叶松种子丰年:种子产量高,种子雨密度达(961.93±377.40)粒/m2;种子质量高,完整种子占(89.31±16.13)%。2012年为种子平年,种子产量低,种子雨密度为(252.73±115.12)粒/m2。华北落叶松种子雨主要源于毗邻树木,华北落叶松纯林和落叶松云杉林的种子雨密度显著高于其他3个针阔混交林。(2)土壤种子库主要由上年种子雨组成,2012年4月的土壤种子库密度为(695.18±297.23)粒/m2,完整种子占(59.73±9.56)%。种子自然萌发前,约(78.98±24.76)粒/m2具发芽力,基本可满足更新需要。但种子活力保持期少于2 a,只能形成短期持久土壤种子库。(3)华北落叶松更新不良,种子年后仍难以实现幼苗建成,当年生幼苗的出现频度平均为1.6%,且林下难以存活。幼苗发生与种子储量关联性不强,种源条件不是制约华北落叶松更新的主要因素。     

The influence of dominant shrubs,fire, and time since fire on soil seed banks in mixed chaparral

The composition and density of soil seed banks beneath co-occurring Adenostoma fasciculatum and Ceanothus greggii shrubs from three chaparral stands last burned 9, 35 and 85 years before 1986 were investigated. The overall density of seeds in the soil, as estimated by germinations under greenhouse conditions, increased with time since fire (ca. 8000 to 25000/m²). However, this increase was due entirely to the accumulation of A. fasciculatum seed in the soil (ca. 2000 to 21000/m²). In contrast, the density of C. greggii seed was different in each of the three stands, but was not correlated with time since fire: maximum densities were recorded from the 35 year old stand (ca. 2000/m²).A total of 31 taxa germinated and 17 occurred in sufficient numbers to be analyzed statistically. Germinable seed densities of three herb species were not influenced by soil source (beneath A. fasciculatum or C. greggii), time since fire, or the direct effects of a controlled fire treatment. Germinable seed densities of a further nine species were significantly influenced by the elapsed time since stands last burned. The densities of four decreased and five increased. Four of the species that increased in seed density over the three stands were annuals, suggesting that the chaparral sub-canopy habitat is not as unfavorable for annuals as is often assumed. The fire treatment decreased germinable seed densities of four annual species by 40–70%, but increased the germinable seed densities of the shrubs A. fasciculatum and C. greggii, and the annual Phacelia brachyloba. Our results indicate that seeds of A. fasciculatum will increase in the soil bank for at least 85 years after fire in chaparral where it is dominant. In contrast, seed reserves of C. greggii appear to be influenced primarily by site-specific patterns of seed production and by the intensity of post-dispersal seed predation.     

Burial increases seed longevity of two Artemisia tridentata (Asteraceae) subspecies

? Premise of the study: Seed longevity and persistence in soil seed banks may be especially important for population persistence in ecosystems where opportunities for seedling establishment and disturbance are unpredictable. The fire regime, an important driver of population dynamics in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, has been altered by exotic annual grass invasion. Soil seed banks may play an active role in postfire recovery of the foundation shrub Artemisia tridentata, yet conditions under which seeds persist are largely unknown. ? Methods: We investigated seed longevity of two Artemisia tridentata subspecies in situ by retrieving seed bags that were placed at varying depths over a 2 yr period. We also sampled naturally dispersed seeds in litter and soil immediately after seed dispersal and before flowering in subsequent seasons to estimate seed persistence. ? Key results: After 24 mo, seeds buried at least 3 cm below the soil surface retained 30-40% viability whereas viability of seeds on the surface and under litter declined to 0 and < 11%, respectively. The density of naturally dispersed seeds in the seed bank was highly heterogeneous both spatially and temporally, and attrition varied significantly by region. ? Conclusions: Our study suggests that Artemisia tridentata has the potential to form a short-term soil seed bank that persists longer than has been commonly assumed, and that burial is necessary for seed longevity. Use of seeding techniques that promote burial of some seeds to aid in formation of a soil seed bank may increase restoration potential.     

Seed–litter–position drives seedling establishment in grassland species under recurrent drought

Changes in land use and climate interfere with grassland ecosystem processes. Here I experimentally investigated the combined effects of land‐use change related litter cover and contrasting water supply on seedling emergence. In this context, the role of the initial relative position of seeds, i.e. seeds on top of the litter versus seeds beneath the litter in interaction with water supply has not been investigated so far. I hypothesised that facilitative effects of litter on seedling emergence occur when seeds are covered by litter and deteriorate when litter covers the ground and seeds fall on it (seeds on top of the litter). Further, I hypothesised that the importance of seed position for seedling emergence will increase under conditions of recurrent drought. I performed a controlled pot experiment on seedling emergence of three common European grassland species (Pimpinella saxifraga, Leontodon autumnalis, Sanguisorba officinalis) by experimental manipulations of litter and water availability. Seedling emergence under moist conditions showed no significant differences between each litter position compared to the control across species. In contrast, under recurrent drought, seedling emergence was significantly higher below the litter compared to seeds on top of the litter and the control (i.e. no litter). In abandoned land, seedling emergence may be limited when seeds fall on ground‐covering litter. In contrast, in grasslands with regular low‐intensity land use, seedling emergence may be enhanced when a moderate level of litter covers seeds at the end of the growing season. Protective mechanisms that occur with seeds positioned beneath litter are particularly important under recurrent drought.     

Ant-mediated expansion of an obligate seeder species during the first years after fire

Most obligate seeder species build up a soil seed bank that is associated with massive seed germination in the year immediately after a fire. These species are also shade‐intolerant and disappear when vegetation cover closes, creating unsuitable conditions for seedling recruitment. The only way for these plants to expand their populations is when habitats suitable for seedling recruitment arise (i.e. in years immediately after a fire). However, short primary seed dispersal of obligate seeders does not allow these plants to colonise the suitable habitats, and these habitats can only be colonised by secondary seed dispersion. We hypothesised that Fumana ericoides, an obligate‐seeding small shrub, not only establishes abundantly in the first year after fire, but also expands its local range in the following years due to secondary dispersal by ants while suitable habitats are still available. We tested this hypothesis using experimental studies and a simulation model of potential population expansion in a recently burned area. Results showed that F. ericoides not only established prolifically in the year immediately after fire, but was also able to recruit new individuals and expand its population in the years following the fire, despite a low germination rate and short primary seed dispersal. Ant‐mediated seed dispersal and availability of suitable habitats were key factors in this phenomenon: ants redistributed seeds in suitable habitats while they were available, which accelerated the expansion of F. ericoides because new plants established far away from the core population.     

Impact of fire on Picea mariana and Pinus banksiana seedlings in subarctic lichen woodlands

Abstract. The demography of Picea mariana (black spruce) and Pinus banksiana (jack pine) seedlings was monitored through five censuses over 13 months in four different seed bed types after fire of four severity levels in lichen woodland. Most seeds germinated just before early frost in late summer 1990 or immediately after snow thaw in early spring 1991; the germination rate subsequently decreased. For both species, germination rate decreased along a gradient of fire severity. The proportion of Pinus seeds that produced a seedling surviving 13 months after sowing was 4.3 % and 0.4 % respectively in the intact lichen mat and in the mineral soil seed bed type. For Picea these values are 3.2 % and 0.2 % respectively. The low germination rate in a severely burned seed bed type appeared to be associated with the formation of a water-repellent crust at the soil surface following the fire. Seedlings were contagiously distributed and were more frequent in flat and hollow microsites, where there is probably more water available than on bumps or among pebbles. Properties of experimentally burned seed bed types may differ from those under natural fires where regeneration by seed generally occurs following dispersal. However, the high germination rate observed in the intact lichen mat suggests that scattered lichen woodland patches may respond to increased seed input by a higher frequency of seedling establishment.     

Fire increases aboveground biomass,seed production and recruitment success of Molinia caerulea in dry heathland

During the last decades, the perennial tussock grass Molinia caerulea has shown an increased abundance in European heathlands, most likely as a result of increased nitrogen deposition and altered management schemes. Because of its deciduous nature, Molinia produces large amounts of litter each year, which may affect the intensity and frequency of accidental fires in heathlands. These fires may influence plant population dynamics and heathland community organization through their effects on plant vital attributes and competitive interactions. In this study, fire-induced changes in competitive ability and invasiveness of Molinia through changes in biomass production, seed set and seed germination under both natural and laboratory conditions were investigated. We found that fire significantly increased aboveground biomass, seed set and germination of Molinia. Seed set was twice as high in burned compared to unburned heathland. Two years after fire, seedling densities in natural conditions were on average six times higher in burned than in unburned heathland, which resulted in increased abundance of Molinia after burning. The seed germination experiment indicated that seeds harvested from plants in burned heathland showed higher germination rates than those from unburned heathland. Hence, our results clearly demonstrate increased invasive spread of Molinia after large and intense fires. Active management guidelines are required to prevent further encroachment of Molinia and to lower the probability of large fires altering the heathland community in the future.