How important is fire-induced disturbance in the maintenance of a threatened perennial forb, Solanum papaverifolium?
Omofomwan Kingsley Osazuwa
A * , John Matthew Dwyer A and Roderick John Fensham A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
B Queensland Herbarium, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Qld 4066, Australia.
Australian Journal of Botany 70(5) 335-343 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT21146
Submitted: 28 November 2021 Accepted: 21 June 2022 Published: 26 July 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Context: Many grassland forb populations have greatly diminished because their habitat coincides with prime agricultural land and remnants lack appropriate disturbance regimes.
Aim: The aim of the current study is to examine the survivorship, vegetative recruitment, biomass and sexual reproduction of S. papaverifolium in response to burning in one of a few natural surviving populations in Queensland.
Methods: We monitored the survivorship, vegetative recruitment, and reproduction of a rare native forb, Solanum papaverifolium, within a randomised replicated experiment by using 14 circular plots measuring 12.56 m2 (2 m radius).
Key results: Plant survival rate after 5 months was greater in the burnt plots (56%) than the unburnt plots (44%). Vegetative recruitment from suckers in the burnt plots was almost twice that in the unburnt plots. The probability of flowering was also enhanced by burning. Fruit set in new recruits was higher in the burnt plots (20%) than in the unburnt plots (5%). Whereas fruiting did not occur in unburnt plots for surviving plants that flowered, only 1% fruited in the burnt plots. Seedling production was not observed.
Conclusion: Previous studies have demonstrated that the subtropical grassland flora in the study region is unaffected by burning, whereas the present study suggests that some grassland species respond positively to burning.
Implications: Although fire increased flowering in this species, suggesting that fire may be a useful tool to stimulate sexual reproduction, ongoing research is required to understand the precise factors that promote flowering after burning and the barriers to seedling reproduction.
Keywords: competition and inter-tussock species, disturbance, fire, plant survival, Solanum papaverifolium, subtropical grassland, vegetative recruitment and reproduction.
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