Drought and resprouting plants

Many species have the ability to resprout vegetatively after a substantial loss of biomass induced by environmental stress, including drought. Many of the regions characterised by ecosystems where resprouting is common are projected to experience more frequent and intense drought during the 21st Century. However, in assessments of ecosystem response to drought disturbance there has been scant consideration of the resilience and post-drought recovery of resprouting species. Systematic differences in hydraulic and allocation traits suggest that resprouting species are more resilient to drought-stress than nonresprouting species. Evidence suggests that ecosystems dominated by resprouters recover from disturbance more quickly than ecosystems dominated by nonresprouters. The ability of resprouters to avoid mortality and withstand drought, coupled with their ability to recover rapidly, suggests that the impact of increased drought stress in ecosystems dominated by these species may be small. The strategy of resprouting needs to be modelled explicitly to improve estimates of future climate-change impacts on the carbon cycle, but this will require several important knowledge gaps to be filled before resprouting can be properly implemented.

Effects of shape Rosmarinus officinalis neighbors on resprouting of shape Erica multiflora individuals

To study the effects of competition in Mediterranean shrubland regeneration following disturbance, we used a neighborhood approach to assess the influence of mature Rosmarinus officinalis neighbors on the resprouting of Erica multiflora individuals after clipping. Sprout biomass of target plants 2 years after clipping was regressed against various measures of neighbor abundance within a 2 m radius around target E. multiflora individuals in which all vegetation except R. officinalis had been removed. The largest single influence on the biomass of sprouts produced was the previous biomass of the resprouting plant. The abundance of R. officinalis neighbors had a weak but detectable effect on resprouting of E. multiflora. Abundance of neighbors within 60 cm from target plants was the best predictor of regrowth. At this distance, two simple measures of neighbor abundance within the neighborhood, the number of neighbors and the sum of their heights, were significant in accounting for variation in resprouted biomass. None of the combinations of neighbor variables performed significantly better than single variables. The best models accounted for around 24 percent of the variation in resprout biomass. As in other studies, angular dispersion of neighbors never had a significant effect on performance of target plants. The weak but significant response of resprouting to variation in R. officinalis abundance suggests that the intensity of competition in the experiment was low because of the removal of other species.

Resprouting and new leaves in mangrove forests, one year after Hurricane Wilma impacted the site, Shark River Slough

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DBI-0620409 and #DEB-9910514. This image is made available for non-commercial or educational use only.

Towards understanding resprouting at the global scale

Understanding and predicting plant response to disturbance is of paramount importance in our changing world. Resprouting ability is often considered a simple qualitative trait and used in many ecological studies. Our aim is to show some of the complexities of resprouting while highlighting cautions that need be taken in using resprouting ability to predict vegetation responses across disturbance types and biomes. There are marked differences in resprouting depending on the disturbance type, and fire is often the most severe disturbance because it includes both defoliation and lethal temperatures. In the Mediterranean biome, there are differences in functional strategies to cope with water deficit between resprouters (dehydration avoiders) and nonresprouters (dehydration tolerators); however, there is little research to unambiguously extrapolate these results to other biomes. Furthermore, predictions of vegetation responses to changes in disturbance regimes require consideration not only of resprouting, but also other relevant traits (e.g. seeding, bark thickness) and the different correlations among traits observed in different biomes; models lacking these details would behave poorly at the global scale. Overall, the lessons learned from a given disturbance regime and biome (e.g. crown-fire Mediterranean ecosystems) can guide research in other ecosystems but should not be extrapolated at the global scale.

The effect of long-term repeated burning and fire exclusion on above- and below-ground Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) forest vegetation assemblages

We used a long-term fire experiment in south-east Queensland, Australia, to determine the effects of frequent prescribed burning and fire exclusion on understorey vegetation (<7.5 m) richness and density in Eucalyptus pilularis forest. Our study provided a point in time assessment of the standing vegetation and soil-stored vegetation at two experimental sites with treatments of biennial burning, quadrennial burning since 19711972 and no burning since 1969. Vegetation composition, density and richness of certain plant groups in the standing and soil-stored vegetation were influenced by fire treatments. The density of resprouting plants <3 m in height was higher in the biennially burnt treatment than in the unburnt treatment, but resprouters 37.5 m in height were absent from the biennial burning treatment. Obligate seeder richness and density in the standing vegetation was not significantly influenced by the fire treatments, but richness of this plant group in the seed bank was higher in the quadrennial treatment at one site and in the long unburnt treatment at the other site. Long unburnt treatments had an understorey of rainforest species, while biennial burning at one site and quadrennial burning at the other site were associated with greater standing grass density relative to the unburnt treatment. This difference in vegetation composition due to fire regime potentially influences the flammability of the standing understorey vegetation. Significant interactions between fire regime and site, apparent in the standing and soil-stored vegetation, demonstrate the high degree of natural variability in vegetation community responses to fire regimes.

Resilience of a eucalypt forest woody understorey to long-term (34–55 years) repeated burning in subtropical Australia

We investigated the effects of annual burning since 1952, triennial burning since 1973, fire exclusion since 1946 and infrequent wildfire (one fire in 61 years) on woody understorey vegetation in a dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest, south-eastern Queensland, Australia. We determined the influence of these treatments, and other site variables (rainfall, understorey density, topsoil C : N ratio, tree basal area, distance to watercourse and burn coverage) on plant taxa density, richness and composition. The richness of woody understorey taxa 0–1 m in height was not affected by burning treatments, but richness of woody plants 1–7.5 m in height was lower in the annually burnt treatment than in the triennially burnt treatment from 1989 to 2007. Fire frequency and other site variables explained 34% of the variation in taxa composition (three taxon groups and 10 species), of which 33% of the explained variance was explained by fire treatment and 46% was explained by other site variables. Annual burning between 1974 and 1993 was associated with lower understorey densities mainly due to reduced densities of eucalypts 1–7.5 m in height. Triennial burning during the same period was associated with higher densities of eucalypts 0–7.5 m in height relative to the annually burnt and unburnt treatments. Most woody taxa persisted in the frequently burnt treatments through resprouting mechanisms (e.g. lignotuberous regeneration), and fire patchiness associated with low-intensity burning was also found to be important. Persistence of plants <1 m tall demonstrates the resilience of woody taxa to repeated burning in this ecosystem, although they mainly exist in a suppressed growth state under annual burning.

Regeneration of Juvenile Woody Plants after Fire in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest of Southern India

Woody tree species in seasonally dry tropical forests are known to have traits that help them to recover from recurring disturbances such as fire. Two such traits are resprouting and rapid post-fire growth. We compared survival and growth rates of regenerating small-sized individuals (juveniles) of woody tree species after dry season fire (February-March) at eight adjacent pairs of burnt and unburnt transects in a seasonally dry tropical forest in southern India. Juveniles were monitored at 3-mo intervals between August 2009 and August 2010. High juvenile survivorship (>95%) was observed in both burnt and unburnt areas. Growth rates of juveniles, analyzed at the community level as well as for a few species individually (especially fast-growing ones), were distinctly higher in burnt areas compared to unburnt areas after a fire event, particularly during the pre-monsoon season immediately after a fire. Rapid growth by juveniles soon after a fire may be due to lowered competition from other vegetative forms such as grasses, possibly aided by the availability of resources stored belowground. Such an adaptation would allow a juvenile bank to be retained in the understory of a dry forest, from where individuals can grow to a possible fire-tolerant size during favorable conditions.

Efectos de la salinidad y el herbicida glifosato sobre la especie invasora Baccharis halimifolia

CASTELLANO. La introducción de especies exóticas invasoras es una de las causas más importantes de pérdida de biodiversidad. Baccharis halimifolia es una de las 20 especies exóticas invasoras mas perjudiciales en España e invade gran parte de la marisma de Urdaibai. En dicha marisma se aplicaron tratamientos de control mediante la corta y aplicación de herbicida (glifosato) tras los cuales se observó un variable porcentaje de rebrote en función de la salinidad edáfica. Se realizó un experimento en el que las plantas recolectadas en las parcelas tratadas fueron sometidas en el invernadero a un tratamiento de salinidad y a otro de glifosato con el fin de estudiar la interacción entre ambos tratamientos en individuos originados por germinación y por rebrote y las posibles diferencias entre sexos. Se estudiaron los parámetros de biomasa y acumulación de iones sodio. No se han observado diferencias significativas entre los sexos para ninguno de los parámetros. Sin embargo, los rebrotes acumulan más Na+ que los individuos procedentes de germinación y su biomasa disminuye significativamente tras la aplicación de glifosato, únicamente en medio no salino. Nuestros resultados sugieren que los rebrotes de B. halimifolia reaccionan en mayor medida a la salinidad y al glifosato, lo que proporciona información de interés para la gestión.

Can salvage logging affect seed dispersal by birds into burned forests?

The recovery of vegetation in Mediterranean ecosystems after wildfire is mostly a result of direct regeneration, since the same species existing before the fire regenerate on-site by seeding or resprouting. However, the possibility of plant colonization by dispersal of seeds from unburned areas remains poorly studied. We addressed the role of the frugivorous, bird-dependent seed dispersal (seed rain) of fleshy-fruited plants in a burned and managed forest in the second winter after a fire, before on-site fruit production had begun. We also assessed the effect on seed rain of different microhabitats resulting from salvage logging (erosion barriers, standing snags, open areas), as well as the microhabitats of unlogged patches and an unburned control forest, taking account of the importance of perches as seed rain sites. We found considerable seed rain by birds in the burned area. Seeds, mostly from Olive trees Olea europaea and Evergreen pistaches Pistacia lentiscus, belonged to plants fruiting only in surrounding unburned areas. Seed rain was heterogeneous, and depended on microhabitat, with the highest seed density in the unburned control forest but closely followed by the wood piles of erosion barriers. In contrast, very low densities were found under perches of standing snags. Furthermore, frugivorous bird richness seemed to be higher in the erosion barriers than elsewhere. Our results highlight the importance of this specific post-fire management in bird-dependent seed rain and also may suggest a consequent heterogeneous distribution of fleshy-fruited plants in burned and managed areas. However, there needs to be more study of the establishment success of dispersed seeds before an accurate assessment can be made of the role of bird-mediated seed dispersal in post-fire regeneration

Improved simulation of fire–vegetation interactions in the Land surface Processes and eXchanges dynamic global vegetation model (LPX-Mv1)

The Land surface Processes and eXchanges (LPX) model is a fire-enabled dynamic global vegetation model that performs well globally but has problems representing fire regimes and vegetative mix in savannas. Here we focus on improving the fire module. To improve the representation of ignitions, we introduced a reatment of lightning that allows the fraction of ground strikes to vary spatially and seasonally, realistically partitions strike distribution between wet and dry days, and varies the number of dry days with strikes. Fuel availability and moisture content were improved by implementing decomposition rates specific to individual plant functional types and litter classes, and litter drying rates driven by atmospheric water content. To improve water extraction by grasses, we use realistic plant-specific treatments of deep roots. To improve fire responses, we introduced adaptive bark thickness and post-fire resprouting for tropical and temperate broadleaf trees. All improvements are based on extensive analyses of relevant observational data sets. We test model performance for Australia, first evaluating parameterisations separately and then measuring overall behaviour against standard benchmarks. Changes to the lightning parameterisation produce a more realistic simulation of fires in southeastern and central Australia. Implementation of PFT-specific decomposition rates enhances performance in central Australia. Changes in fuel drying improve fire in northern Australia, while changes in rooting depth produce a more realistic simulation of fuel availability and structure in central and northern Australia. The introduction of adaptive bark thickness and resprouting produces more realistic fire regimes in Australian savannas. We also show that the model simulates biomass recovery rates consistent with observations from several different regions of the world characterised by resprouting vegetation. The new model (LPX-Mv1) produces an improved simulation of observed vegetation composition and mean annual burnt area, by 33 and 18% respectively compared to LPX.

Selection of endogenous genes for gene expression studies in Eucalyptus under biotic (Puccinia psidii) and abiotic (acibenzolar-S-methyl) stresses using RT-qPCR

Background: Rust caused by Puccinia psidii Winter has been limiting for the establishment of new Eucalyptus plantations, as well as for resprouting of susceptible genetic materials. Identifying host genes involved in defense responses is important to elucidate resistance mechanisms. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR is the most common method of mRNA quantitation for gene expression analysis. This method generally employs a reference gene as an internal control to normalize results. A good endogenous control transcript shows minimal variation due to experimental conditions. Findings. We analyzed the expression of 13 genes to identify transcripts with minimal variation in leaves of 60-day-old clonal seedlings of two Eucalyptus clones (rust-resistant and susceptible) subjected to biotic (P. psidii) and abiotic (acibenzolar-S-methyl, ASM) stresses. Conclusions. For tissue samples of clones that did not receive any stimulus, a combination of the eEF2 and EglDH genes was the best control for normalization. When pathogen-inoculated and uninoculated plant samples were compared, eEF2 and UBQ together were more appropriate as normalizers. In ASM-treated and untreated leaves of both clones, transcripts of the CYP and elF4B genes combined were the ones with minimal variation. Finally, when comparing expression in both clones for ASM-treated leaves, P. psidii-inoculated leaves, ASM-treated plus P. psidii-inoculated leaves, and their respective controls, the genes with the most stable expression were EgIDH and UBQ. The chitinase gene, which is highly expressed in studies on plant resistance to phytopathogens, was used to confirm variation in gene expression due to the treatments. © 2010 Laia et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Does disturbance affect bud bank size and belowground structures diversity in Brazilian subtropical grasslands?

Brazilian Campos grasslands are ecosystems under high frequency of disturbance by grazing and fires. Absence of such disturbances may lead to shrub encroachment and loss of plant diversity. Vegetation regeneration after disturbance in these grasslands occurs mostly by resprouting from belowground structures. We analyzed the importance of bud bank and belowground bud bearing organs in Campos grasslands. We hypothesize that the longer the intervals between disturbances are, the smaller the size of the bud bank is. Additionally, diversity and frequency of belowground organs should also decrease in areas without disturbance for many years. We sampled 20 soil cores from areas under different types of disturbance: grazed, exclusion from disturbance for two, six, 15 and 30 years. Belowground biomass was sorted for different growth forms and types of bud bearing organs. We found a decrease in bud bank size with longer disturbance intervals. Forbs showed the most drastic decrease in bud bank size in the absence of disturbance, which indicates that they are very sensitive to changes in disturbance regimes. Xylopodia (woody gemmiferous belowground organs with hypocotyl-root origin) were typical for areas under influence of recurrent fires. The diversity of belowground bud bearing structures decreased in the absence of disturbance. Longer intervals between disturbance events, resulting in decrease of bud bank size and heterogeneity of belowground organs may lead to the decline and even disappearance of species that relay on resprouting from the bud bank upon disturbance. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Biomass and Stored Carbohydrate Compensation after Above-Ground Biomass Removal in a Perennial Herb: Does Environmental Productivity Play a Role?

Many plant species are able to tolerate severe disturbance leading to removal of a substantial portion of the body by resprouting from intact or fragmented organs. Resprouting enables plants to compensate for biomass loss and complete their life cycles. The degree of disturbance tolerance, and hence the ecological advantage of damage tolerance (in contrast to alternative strategies), has been reported to be affected by environmental productivity. In our study, we examined the influence of soil nutrients (as an indicator of environmental productivity) on biomass and stored carbohydrate compensation after removal of aboveground parts in the perennial resprouter Plantago lanceolata. Specifically, we tested and compared the effects of nutrient availability on biomass and carbon storage in damaged and undamaged individuals. Damaged plants of P. lanceolata compensated neither in terms of biomass nor overall carbon storage. However, whereas in the nutrient-poor environment, root total non-structural carbohydrate concentrations (TNC) were similar for damaged and undamaged plants, in the nutrient-rich environment, damaged plants had remarkably higher TNC than undamaged plants. Based on TNC allocation patterns, we conclude that tolerance to disturbance is promoted in more productive environments, where higher photosynthetic efficiency allows for successful replenishment of carbohydrates. Although plants under nutrient-rich conditions did not compensate in terms of biomass or seed production, they entered winter with higher content of carbohydrates, which might result in better performance in the next growing season. This otherwise overlooked compensation mechanism might be responsible for inconsistent results reported from other studies.

Vegetation shift and laurophyllisation: the possible role of forest fires

Southern Switzerland is a fire prone area where fire has to be considered as a natural environmental factor. In the past decades, fire frequency has tended to increase due to changes in landscape management. The most common type of fire is surface fire which normally breaks out during the vegetation resting period. Usually this type of fire shows short residence time (rapid spread), low to medium fire intensity and limited size. South-facing slopes are particularly fire-prone, so that very high fire frequency is possible: under these conditions passive resistant species and postfire resprouting species are favoured, usually leading to a reduction in the number of surviving species to a few fire adapted sprouters. Evergreen broadleaves are extremely sensitive to repeated fires. A simulation of the potential vegetation of southern Switzerland under climatic changed conditions evidenced the coincidence of the potential area of spreading forests rich in evergreen broad-leaved species with the most fire-prone area of the region. Therefore, in future, wildfires could play an important regulating role: most probably they will not stop the large-scale laurophyllisation of the thermophilous forests of southern Switzerland, but at sites with high fire frequency the vegetation shift could be slowed or even prevented by fire-disturbances.

Promoting mixed stands through conversion treatments. Effect of holm oak coppices thinning on black pine regeneration

The effects of conversion treatments, depending on ecological factors and silvicultural parameters (thinning intensity, thinning type and rotation, among others) have been studied during the last fifteen years in an experimental trial in Central Spain. The general climate is continental Mediterranean; soils are low depth and limy; vegetation is an homogeneous dense coppices of Quercus ilex with isolated Pinus nigra trees. The experimental design (three locations) includes different thinning intensities (from 0 to 100% of extracted basal area). Inventories have been carried out in 1994 and 2010; thinning treatments were done in 1995 and 2011. Analysis of the effects of the conversion treatment show the increment of diameter and height growth rates, the canopy recovery and the stand resprouting, finding differences in these effects between thinning treatments. Besides the induced changes at holm oak stand, the application of conversion treatment clearly changed the woodland dynamics. Fifteen years after the thinnings, floristic composition varied and an abundant pine regeneration was installed in the woodland. In this work we describe the changes between inventories in tree species composition and diameter distribution, specially in the case of black pine. The conversion treatment caused changes in forest dynamics in the short term, increasing biodiversity and diversifying the forest structure. The fast installation of Pinus regeneration suggests the potential of the zone for the establishment of multipurpose mixed Quercus-Pinus stands in wide areas where Quercus species were favoured by human populations for firewood production. Conversion treatment of coppices, with the creation of mixed stands, constitutes a good management alternative for extensive areas and an interesting technique to adaptation to global change.