Factors affecting plant diversity during postfire recovery and succession of mediterranean-climate shrublands in California, USA
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Abstract
Plant community diversity, measured as species richness, is typically highest in the early post-fire years in California shrublands. However, this generalization is overly simplistic and the present study demonstrates that diversity is determined by a complex of temporal and spatial effects. Ninety sites distributed across southern California were studied for 5 years after a series of fires. Characteristics of the disturbance event, in this case fire severity, can alter post-fire diversity, both decreasing and increasing diversity, depending on life form. Spatial variability in resource availability is an important factor explaining patterns of diversity, and there is a complex interaction between landscape features and life form. Temporal variability in resource availability affects diversity, and the diversity peak in the immediate post-fire year (or two) appears to be driven by factors different from subsequent diversity peaks. Early post-fire diversity is influenced by life-history specialization, illustrated by species that spend the bulk of their life cycle as a dormant seed bank, which is then triggered to germinate by fire. Resource fluctuations, precipitation in particular, may be associated with subsequent post-fire diversity peaks. These later peaks in diversity comprise a flora that is compositionally different from the immediate post-fire flora, and their presence may be due to mass effects from population expansion of local populations in adjacent burned areas.
Suggested Citation
Keeley, J.E., Fotheringham, C.J., Baer-Keeley, M., 2005, Factors affecting plant diversity during postfire recovery and succession of mediterranean-climate shrublands in California, USA: Diversity and Distributions, v. 11, p. 535-537, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00200.x.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Factors affecting plant diversity during postfire recovery and succession of mediterranean-climate shrublands in California, USA |
| Series title | Diversity and Distributions |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00200.x |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication Date | November 07, 2005 |
| Year Published | 2005 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Western Ecological Research Center |
| Description | 3 p. |
| First page | 535 |
| Last page | 537 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Calilfornia |