Effects of different loads of Pinus pinaster Ait. litter and ash on the germination and growth of Cistus ladanifer L
Key message Cistus ladanifer L. shows an extraordinary plasticity of germination and growth. Fire promotes the regeneration of C. ladanifer by triggering its germination through thermal shock as well as by enhancing its seedling growth through the addition of ashes. On the contrary, stacking of Pinu...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha |
| Repositorio: | RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/39389 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-024-01258-3 https://annforsci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13595-024-01258-3 https://hdl.handle.net/10578/39389 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Biomass Cistaceae Fire Maritime pine Prescribed fres Seed dormancy Seedlings |
| Sumario: | Key message Cistus ladanifer L. shows an extraordinary plasticity of germination and growth. Fire promotes the regeneration of C. ladanifer by triggering its germination through thermal shock as well as by enhancing its seedling growth through the addition of ashes. On the contrary, stacking of Pinus pinaster Ait. leaf litter may hinder seedling establishment, at least in the frst months after germination.Context Pinus pinaster Ait. is afected by forest fres in the Mediterranean basin. Its extreme fammability is due to the high spatial continuity together with the massive accumulation of leaf litter. Cistus ladanifer L. is a species which is widely distributed in the west Mediterranean region where it can form vast shrublands and fourish under these pinewoods. Althoughhigh temperatures associated with the occurrence of fre trigger germination of C. ladanifer, knowledge on how other factors, such as the presence of litter on the forest foor or the ash left after the fre, influence germination and seedling growth is essential to improve land management plans.Aims The main objective of this study was to determine the efects of diferent loads of litter from P. pinaster and ash from their combustion on the germination and growth of seedlings of C. ladanifer.Methods Two experiments were carried out to assess the efect of heat shock (100 °C for 10 min) and two loads of litter and ash from P. pinaster (control, high and low loads of litter, high and low loads of ash) on the germination and growth after 2 and 4 months of C. ladanifer.Results Heat shock signifcantly increased the germination of C. ladanifer. In contrast, the addition of litter and ash had no efect on total germination but afected the growth of the seedlings coming from seeds exposed to heat shock. Litter treatments reduced biomass of 2 months seedlings and ash increased biomass of 4 months seedlings.Conclusion C. ladanifer is a species favoured by fre in diferent ways depending on the stage of regeneration. Germination is promoted by heat shock while seedling growth is favoured by ash nutrients. In contrast, pine leaf litter hinders seedling growth, although this efect disappears 4 months after germination. Alternative forest management practices to prescribed fres are recommended if preventing the spread of Cistus is a priority. |
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