Can the mother plant age of Acacia melanoxylon (Leguminosae) modulate the germinative response to fire?
Oscar Cruz A , Juan García-Duro A , Mercedes Casal A and Otilia Reyes A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Área de Ecología, Dpto. de Biología Funcional, Fac. de Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
B Corresponding author. Email: otilia.reyes@usc.es
Australian Journal of Botany 65(7) 593-600 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT17083
Submitted: 10 May 2017 Accepted: 19 October 2017 Published: 16 November 2017
Abstract
Acacia melanoxylon R.Br. (Leguminosae) is one of the most widely distributed tree species in the world. It has significant commercial use but can be a danger to natural ecosystems as an invader species. For these reasons it is necessary to have a deep knowledge about its germinative response to fire and the role the mother plant age plays in that response. In this work we assessed the effects of the interaction of the mother plant age with the main fire agents (smoke, charcoal, ash and heat) on the germinative response of A. melanoxylon. To reach this aim, germination tests were conducted with seeds from young, intermediate and mature mother plants, with 20 treatments each applied. Results show that fire can act as a great stimulator of the germination of A. melanoxylon but it can also strongly inhibit it. The mother plant age does not modify the final germination values, but it influences the time in which the first germinations occur after fire. This trait can be more important than the final germination percentage when looking at the success of post-fire regeneration. These results have important implications for A. melanoxylon management, for both species control and ecological restoration purposes.
Additional keywords: fire ecology, germination, seed sources.
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