Effects of wet- and dry-season fires on Jacquemontia curtisii, a south Florida pine forest endemic

Natural Areas Journal
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Abstract

South Florida pine forests have a diverse endemic flora that has evolved under the influence of recurrent fire. We studied the response of Jacquemontia curtisii Peter ex Hallier f. (pineland clustervine), a perennial herbaceous member of that flora, to experimental fires during wet and dry seasons. In each of three populations, three treatments were applied: wet-season (June) prescribed fire, dry-season (January) prescribed fire, and an unburned control. Flowering, fruiting, and seedling establishment were followed for up to one year. Mortality of adult plants was twice as great after wet-season burns than after dry-season burns even though fire temperatures were higher in the dry-season burns. Within a season of burning, mortality was greater for the more severely burned plants or the smaller plants. Wet-season burns produced over three times more flowers than not burning, in spite of mortality of more than half the plants. Burning stimulated germination from the soil seed bank. Dry-season burns resulted in five times more seedlings than wet-season burns and more of these seedlings were alive one year after the burn. It is likely that the long-term viability of Jacquemontia curtisii populations is favored by diversity in fire season and severity.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Effects of wet- and dry-season fires on Jacquemontia curtisii, a south Florida pine forest endemic
Series title Natural Areas Journal
Volume 18
Issue 4
Year Published 1998
Language English
Publisher Natural Areas Association
Description 8 p.
First page 350
Last page 357
Country United States
State Florida
Other Geospatial Big Cypress National Preserve, Raccoon Point
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