Factors affecting plant diversity during postfire recovery and succession of mediterranean-climate shrublands in California, USA
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.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2005 |
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Title | Factors affecting plant diversity during postfire recovery and succession of mediterranean-climate shrublands in California, USA |
DOI | 10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00200.x |
Authors | Jon E. Keeley, C. J. Fotheringham, Melanie Baer-Keeley |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Diversity and Distributions |
Index ID | 1008114 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Western Ecological Research Center |