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SPECIES COMPOSITION AND FIRE IN A DRY DECIDUOUS FOREST
Author(s) -
Saha Sonali,
Howe Henry F.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/02-3051
Subject(s) - crown (dentistry) , deciduous , understory , biology , seedling , botany , ecology , canopy , medicine , dentistry
A century of annual burning of the understory of otherwise fire‐free deciduous tropical forest in central India has favored seven tree species that produce sprouts or suckers from root buds (root‐sprouters) over 37 species that produce sprouts basally from root crowns (root‐crown resprouters). Experiments over two years demonstrated that low‐intensity ground fires killed seedlings (<1 year old), resulting in a 30% decrease in seedling diversity in burned relative to unburned plots. Overall fire‐related mortality of seedlings was 74% for 17 root‐crown resprouters, compared to 63% for six root‐sprouters. Repeated‐measures ANOVA showed that the number of juvenile (>1 year old) stems of root‐sprouters increased in burned study plots but decreased in plots protected from fire. Annual burning by people favors species that repair damage by root sprouts. Root‐sprouting offers a means of occupying new ground with clonal ramets away from the original parental base. Over time, forests may become dominated by clonal root‐sprouters, in contrast to historical accounts of forest dominated by root‐crown resprouters that do not spread by clonal growth. If this process continues in the Mendha Forest in India, >80% of its tree diversity could be lost within 100–200 years.