Effects of wet- and dry-season fires on Jacquemontia curtisii, a south Florida pine forest endemic
Natural Areas Journal
By: L.P. Spier and J.R. Snyder
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Abstract
South Florida pine forests have a diverse endemic flora that has evolved under the influence of recurrent fire. We studied the response of Jacquemontia curtisii Peter ex Hallier f. (pineland clustervine), a perennial herbaceous member of that flora, to experimental fires during wet and dry seasons. In each of three populations, three treatments were applied: wet-season (June) prescribed fire, dry-season (January) prescribed fire, and an unburned control. Flowering, fruiting, and seedling establishment were followed for up to one year. Mortality of adult plants was twice as great after wet-season burns than after dry-season burns even though fire temperatures were higher in the dry-season burns. Within a season of burning, mortality was greater for the more severely burned plants or the smaller plants. Wet-season burns produced over three times more flowers than not burning, in spite of mortality of more than half the plants. Burning stimulated germination from the soil seed bank. Dry-season burns resulted in five times more seedlings than wet-season burns and more of these seedlings were alive one year after the burn. It is likely that the long-term viability of Jacquemontia curtisii populations is favored by diversity in fire season and severity.
Suggested Citation
Spier, L., and Snyder, J., 1998, Effects of wet- and dry-season fires on Jacquemontia curtisii, a south Florida pine forest endemic: Natural Areas Journal, v. 18, no. 4, p. 350-357.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Effects of wet- and dry-season fires on Jacquemontia curtisii, a south Florida pine forest endemic |
| Series title | Natural Areas Journal |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Year Published | 1998 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Natural Areas Association |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 350 |
| Last page | 357 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| Other Geospatial | Big Cypress National Preserve, Raccoon Point |