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Effect of fire on the germination of spores of Pteridium caudatum, an invasive fern

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2010

María del Rosario Ramírez Trejo ,
Blanca Pérez-García ,
Diego R. Pérez-Salicrup  and
Alma Orozco-Segovia
María del Rosario Ramírez Trejo*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apartado Postal 55-535, 09340 México, D. F.
Blanca Pérez-García*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apartado Postal 55-535, 09340 México, D. F.
Diego R. Pérez-Salicrup
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Código Postal 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, México
Alma Orozco-Segovia
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, México, D.F.
*
1Corresponding authors. Email: [email protected], [email protected]
1Corresponding authors. Email: [email protected], [email protected]
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Abstract:

Pteridium caudatum is a fern that frequently invades burnt areas in the Yucatán Peninsula and other neotropical sites. While post-fire regeneration of this fern apparently occurs mainly by vegetative means, little is known about the role of its spores in post-fire regeneration and in colonization of newly invaded fields. Central to these questions is whether bracken fern spores maintain their viability after fires. Here we experimentally evaluate the effect of fire-induced temperatures on Pteridium caudatum spore germination. We used 1200-cm3 blocks containing a constant fuel load of 47.4 g of litter, in which we placed spores at three different depths. The blocks were then ignited, and temperatures at each depth were monitored at 1-min intervals for 2 h. One day after the experimental fires, spores were dug out and cultured at 25 °C and 12-h light/dark cycles. Soil temperatures decreased significantly in relation to depth during fires. Spores on the surface were severely affected by fire, while those buried at 1 and 3 cm showed 77% germination. Germination in unburned controls was 86%. Our results suggest that during fires, Pteridium caudatum spores buried a few centimetres below the surface have a high percentage of viability, which could explain the rapid establishment of this species in burnt fields.

Keywords

bracken spreadburial depthMexicopost-fire regeneration strategiessoil heatingsoil temperaturesYucatán Peninsula
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 26 , Issue 4 , July 2010 , pp. 457 - 465
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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