Abstract
Questions
How do fire frequency and fire size affect the long-term population dynamics of Mulinum spinosum? Which demographic parameters contribute most to the overall effect of fire on population growth? What is the relative importance of resprouting in sustaining population increase?
Location
Grass-shrub northwestern Patagonian steppe, Argentina.
Methods
We monitored five permanent plots excluded from grazing for 6 years. We measured shrub abundance, dimensions, reproductive status, seedling emergence, and the size structure of M. spinosum, a resprouting native shrub inhabiting the northwest Patagonian steppe. Data were used to parametrize a stochastic matrix model developed to explore the influence of fire frequency and fire size on long-term population dynamics. We analyzed hypothetical scenarios that included fire frequencies ranging from one per year up to exclusion.
Results
Except for annual fires, projections show growing populations regardless of fire frequency. For fire return intervals greater than 50 years, the population becomes independent of fires, with an annual population growth rate of 5.6%. The results suggest two relevant aspects of the population dynamics of this species: M. spinosum is well adapted to the current fire frequency and its resprouting capability will allow M. spinosum to survive and persist in the community, even under frequent fires.
Conclusions
Climate change models forecast an increase in summer temperature in NW Patagonia and, consequently, an enhanced fire frequency. Fire is a driver of M. spinosum encroachment that gets worse in overgrazed grasslands. Mulinum spinosum encroachment derivate in a relative replacement of palatable grasses by shrubs changes the ecosystem functionality and reduces productivity. Controlling this process is highly difficult and we suggest a change in the land use for the areas already deteriorated.
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Acknowledgements
This paper was funded by CONICET PICT 0375–2015 Préstamo BID and the UN. del Comahue 04B190 and 04B224 projects. We thank Dr. M. J. Lawes and Dr. D. Eldridge for the manuscript review. Their comments provided very useful comments that improved earlier versions of the manuscript.
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de Torres Curth, M., Ghermandi, L. & Zimmerman, V. Living in a world of fire: the population dynamics of Mulinum spinosum in Northwestern Patagonia grasslands. Plant Ecol 221, 395–406 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-020-01020-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-020-01020-5