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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Fire regimes are changing in several regions of the world. In those regions, some exotic
species may be better adapted to new regimes than the native species. This study focused on identifying
the microsite characteristics associated with the occurrence of post-fire Eucalyptus globulus
regeneration from seeds, outside the species native-range. This information is important in helping
to assess the naturalization status of the species, to understand its invasion risk, and to manage
wildlings in plantations. To characterize the establishment niche, pairs of microsites (sapling presence/
absence) were sampled in four salvage-logged plantations of E. globulus two years after fire
(20 pairs/plantation). Microsites of wildlings from three size classes and control microsites were
established in one of these plantations (20 quartets) in order to characterize the recruitment niche and
to assess ontogenic niche shifts. Two post-fire wildling cohorts were identified. The first emerged
just after fire and was abundant. The second emerged after logging and was scarce, probably due to
seed limitation. First-cohort wildlings were observed in microsites characterized by a high incidence
of fire-related variables (charcoal, ash, increased soil pH and K). The aggregated distribution of
these wildlings and their association with other species may indicate the existence of facilitative
relationships and/or the exploitation of resource-rich patches. All these factors were relevant for
first-cohort persistence and likely also for its establishment and recruitment. Second-cohort wildlings
occurred in microsites where salvage-logging disturbance was evident, showing the importance of
this disturbance for its emergence. Wildling size diversity was explained by the two recruitment
events and by the asymmetrical competition between wildlings and adults. No niche shifts were
detected. The high densities of E. globulus wildlings found established in burnt plantations indicated
naturalization was in progress. The timing of major recruitment events and the phenology of the
species should be considered for monitoring this regeneration and scheduling control interventions,
if required
Description
Keywords
Eucalyptus globulus seed regeneration microsite fire ecological niche
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Águas, A.; Matias, H.; Rodrigues, A.; Bailey, T.; Silva, J.; Rego, F. Microsite Drivers of Natural Seed Regeneration of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. in Burnt Plantations. Forests 2022, 13, 889
Publisher
MDPI