Abstract Exotic species storing seeds in the canopy (serotinous species) can experience a clear advantage in fire-prone communities that lack native taxa with such fire-resistant traits. In addition, selection in the new environment can potentially increase the frequency of fire-adapted characteristics such as serotiny. We studied the potential role of fire favoring the serotinous, non-native conifer Pinus radiata in NW Patagonia. We characterized the degree of serotiny (percentage of serotinous cones) and the size of the canopy seed bank in the unburned plantation and in stands of trees recruited after a fire 30 years ago as a proxy for invasion potential. Fire had a positive effect, increasing serotiny in post-fire P. radiata stands. Post-fire recruited cohorts showed higher serotiny levels and a larger canopy seed bank compared with plantations. Our study suggests that fire-linked traits like serotiny may be subjected to a rapid, fire-driven selection process in fire-adapted species such as P. radiata invading fire-prone ecosystems. Thus, increased serotiny can lead to higher postfire invasion densities, which in turn create a positive feedback loop in invaded areas under recurrent fires.

中文翻译：

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火后松树入侵者的树冠种子储存量增加表明火介导的快速选择

摘要 在树冠中储存种子的外来物种（血清物种）可以在缺乏具有这种耐火特性的本地分类群的易着火群落中体验到明显的优势。此外，在新环境中进行选择可能会增加诸如血清素等火适应特性的频率。我们研究了火在巴塔哥尼亚西北部有利于含血清的非本地针叶松的潜在作用。我们将未烧毁的种植园和 30 年前火灾后招募的树木林中的血清素程度（血清锥体的百分比）和树冠种子库的大小作为入侵潜力的代表。火灾产生了积极的影响，增加了火灾后 P. radiata 林分中的血清素。与种植园相比，火灾后招募的队列显示出更高的血清素水平和更大的树冠种子库。我们的研究表明，与火相关的特性，如血清素，可能会在适应火的物种（如辐射状假单胞菌）侵入易火生态系统中受到快速、火驱动的选择过程。因此，增加的血清素会导致更高的火灾后入侵密度，这反过来又在反复发生的火灾下在入侵区域形成一个正反馈循环。