The list goes on and on and on. Bulbostylis in Venezuelan savannas flowers within a few days after fires; several orchids in Australian woodlands obligately depend on fires to trigger flowering; many other plants in other systems flower profusely a year or two after fires (e.g., Xanthorrhoea, Xerophyllum, Lilium). Several species in Mediterranean scrub in sw Australia, sw South Africa, and s California germinate in response to compounds released in smoke. Hundreds of species in many genera (e.g., Pinus, Cupressus, Eucalyptus, Hakea, Banksia, Protea) release their seeds promptly from serotinous cones, follicles, etc. only in response to fire. Many carnivorous or nitrogen-fixing plants are facilitated by fire. A suite of ca. 17 federally endangered species endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge in south-central Florida are almost surely facilitated by the extraordinarily high frequency of lightning strikes there. Long-term studies at Konza Prairie and Cedar Creek show that different plant species are favored by different long-term fire frequencies. The Karner Blue Butterfly has no life stages resistant to fire, but depends on fire to renew its habitat and maintain an abundance of Lupinus perennis, the sole larval food plant.
-- Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin [email protected] http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 10/07/12, "David L. McNeely" wrote: > I apologize. I left off the list of references I compiled for this post. Here > it is: > > http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=barkbeetles > > http://www.gffp.org/pine/ecology.htm > > http://www.esa.org/education_diversity/pdfDocs/fireecology.pdf > > http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinconl/all.html > > http://fireecology.org/docs/Journal/pdf/Volume08/Issue02/107.pdf > > http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/pinus/contorta.htm > > http://www.firescience.gov/projects/briefs/01B-3-1-01_FSBrief30.pdf > > http://www.fws.gov/southeastfire/what/ecology.html > > http://cee.unc.edu/people/graduate-students/theses/Kaplan_MA.pdf > > > ---- "David L. McNeely" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Wayne, I have heard this "fire dependent" terminology in reference to both > > community types and specific plants. However, most often it has been in > > reference to community types that included dominant fire adapted species. I > > also have heard more convincingly that lodgepole pine, _Pinus contorta_, > > was fire dependent due to serotinous cones. I accepted this without > > judgement. However, one of these references suggests that though > > serotinous, under warm enough conditions 45 - 50 C soil surface > > temperature) the cones may open without fire. I wonder if soils in the > > northern portions and higher elevations of the range get that hot, but I > > don't know. > > > > I have also heard the term applied to Longleaf Pine, _Pinus palustris_ , > > and the communities that it dominated prior to extensive exploitation of > > the SE U.S. forests. My understanding has always been that in that case, > > more shade tolerant species that have seeds that can reach the soil surface > > despite dense grassy understory replace the longleaf pine when fire is > > absent from an area for extensive time. > > > > Here are some references, some of them secondary, that discuss these > > phenomena. > > > > I am definitely not a forest or fire ecologist. > > > > David McNeely > > > > ---- Wayne Tyson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Ecolog: > > > > > > I just caught a video production on TV done by a major governmental fire > > > authority. It contained a mixture of truth and superstition, as well as > > > some questionable assumptions that y'all can help me clear up. > > > > > > 1. A uniformed fire official claimed that some plants are DEPENDENT upon > > > fire for their survival. He did not say that some plants are ADAPTED to > > > fire, he said "dependent." > > > > > > Please share your knowledge and references, please. > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > WT > > > > -- > > David McNeely > > -- > David McNeely
