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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(3)

Effects of fire, post-fire defoliation, drought and season on regrowth and carbohydrate reserves of alpine snowgrass Poa fawcettiae (Poaceae)

A. D. Tolsma A C , K. G. Tolhurst A and S. M. Read A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Forest & Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne, Water Street, Creswick, Vic. 3363, Australia.

B Present address: Division of Forest and Research Development, Forestry Tasmania, 79 Melville Street, Hobart, Tas. 7000, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Present address: Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia. Email: arn.tolsma@dse.vic.gov.au

Australian Journal of Botany 58(3) 157-168 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT09186
Submitted: 21 October 2009  Accepted: 3 February 2010   Published: 5 May 2010

Abstract

Following defoliation, grasses regenerate foliage from basal buds. We used a combination of field, glasshouse and growth-room experiments to investigate the role of carbohydrate reserves in regrowth of Poa fawcettiae Vickery following fire or mock grazing, and the effect on reserve dynamics of post-fire defoliation, drought and seasonal factors. Fructan reserves of burnt plants were depleted during foliage regeneration, and remained below those of unburnt plants for up to 10 months in the field, and for up to 3 months in the glasshouse. Plants were resilient to occasional mechanical clipping of foliage, but experienced significant depletion in fructan reserves and high tiller mortality when clipped at frequent intervals. Cold treatment led to fructan concentrations almost double those in plants growing at a warm temperature, explaining peak autumn levels in field plants, whereas a short drought treatment doubled the concentration of ethanol-soluble carbohydrates. Taken together, these data show how the dynamics of carbohydrate reserves, and specifically tiller-base fructan reserves, explain the vegetative regeneration capacity of P. fawcettiae.


Acknowledgements

This research was approved and supported by Parks Victoria, and was made possible by funding from an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship. We thank Warwick Papst for the glasshouse plants and Neville Walsh for grass identification. Peter Lawrence and Wayne McCallum (Parks Victoria) provided information and logistic support. Field support was provided by Ian Sandy, David Markley, Simone Mummé, Lauren Tolsma, Shane Tolsma, Jessica Tolsma, Paul Wiggins, Henrik Wahren, Nick Ping, Paul McCrae, Peter Lawrence, Jodi Price, Herbie Tolsma, Henk Tolsma, Erica Boyer, Peter Tolsma, Anne-Marie Tolsma and Carolÿn Roberts. Robert Hofstede provided alpine references. Ian Sims, Chris Pollock and Richard Simpson advised on carbohydrate assays. Michael Scroggie (Arthur Rylah Institute) provided statistical advice. From the University of Melbourne, Andrew Drinnan assisted with grass anatomy, and Qing Wang, Steve Elefteriadis, Raff Timpano and Fahey Nowniaz provided laboratory and glasshouse support. Comments and suggestions by three anonymous referees improved the paper.


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