2021/03/29 by Martin, Miranda, Pfahler, Casey, Shackleford, Francesca +1
#MacNab cypress #fire facultative seeders #fire obligate seeders #fire succession #serpentine chaparral
paper · doi:10.21973/n3z66b
Wildfires are natural processes that revitalize the native biodiversity of many habitats by clearing landscapes and creating sunlight rich areas with low competition. This process occurs in the serpentine chaparral of California, which is home to a variety of fire obligate seeders, including whiteleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos viscida) and MacNab cypress (Cupressus macnabiana), as well as fire facultative seeders such as chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum). In our study, we surveyed serpentine chaparral habitats in sites with different burn histories to investigate the effect of fire frequency on the abundance of MacNab cypress, manzanita, and chamise populations in sites that burned 1, 6, and 21 years ago. We also constructed life tables to assess MacNab cypress population growth rate in these different burn sites. Our results indicate that the reproductive success of MacNab cypress decreases four-fold with increasing fire frequency and that increasing fire frequencies may favor fire facultative seeders over fire obligate seeders. This study provides updated research on the effects of increasing fire frequency on plant communities in serpentine chaparral.