The Role of Fire in Establishment of Seedlings of Serotinous Species From the Sydney Region

1991 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 347 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA Bradstock

Observations and experiments were performed to examine the relationship between fire and seedling establishment in the following serotinous/woody species: Banksia ericifolia L.f., Banksia serrata L.f., Petrophile pulchella (Schrad.) R. Br. and Isopogon anemonifolius (Salisb.) Knight. For all species a moderate-intensity fire had no effect on the viability of seeds stored in cones compared to seeds stored in unburnt cones. Germinated seeds of all species, placed in meshed and unmeshed enclosures within an unburnt area, were consumed extensively by an unknown predator within 2 months of placement. No such effect occurred in similar treatments within a recently burnt area. Heating of the soil surface and the nature of substrates (litter, ash, bare soil) had variable effects on seedling establishment. Establishment of B. ericifolia and B. serrata was unaffected by the treatments whereas in P. pulchella and I. anemonifolius substrates and heating had significant effects. In P. pulchella establishment was significantly reduced on litter compared with pure ash. In I. Anemonifolius establishment was significantly higher on treatments with litter or mixed ash, except on soils that had received the low heat treatment, where there was no significant substrate effect. It was concluded that fire could create a more favourable soil-surface environment for establishment in P. pulchella only. In the other species, fire would have no effect or, in I. Anemonifolius, establishment might be enhanced in unburnt conditions. This conclusion does not take into account the effects of cover (overstorey and understorey) on establishment. It was concluded that predation of newly germinated seedlings may be the most important restriction on seedling establishment in unburnt populations.

1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (24) ◽  
pp. 3022-3031 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Thomas ◽  
H. M. Dale

In the crowded parts of patches of Hieracium floribundum Wimm. and Grab., which were established for at least a decade in an ungrazed pasture, 7–10% of the population (3700 individuals/m2) flowered. Of the plants that flowered, 94% were alive a year later, but only 5% of these flowered. Abortion of flower heads was common; one half of all those which were initiated in early June had aborted by flowering time in early July. Freshly dispersed seed had a viability of 57%, which was reduced to 17% a year later, after its storage close to the soil surface. Less than 6% of the viable seed was innately dormant. Dry, laboratory-stored seed retained its viability for the year but was slower to germinate than soil-stored seed. In field conditions, germination was temperature inhibited during most of the growing season. Maximum daytime microsite temperatures of less than 32 °C, which is necessary for germination, were found to occur only in early spring and late fall. Successful seedling establishment accounts for 1% of the individuals in a crowded population. Based on the maximum sexual reproduction from plants in crowded populations, a seed has a probability of 1 in 20 000 of becoming an established seedling. A model of population dynamics in a high-density patch traces the fate of seedling establishment, surviving adults, and stolon-derived rosettes for a single year.


1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Ojeda ◽  
T Maranon ◽  
J Arroyo

Fire is a recurrent disturbance in the vegetation of Mediterranean climate regions. Most of the woody species (16 out of 19) in a Mediterranean heathland community, in the Strait of Gibraltar region of southern Spain, sprouted from subterranean vegetative organs after a wild-fire. Dominant sprouters were the prostrated oak Quercus lusitanica, three gorses, Genista tridens, G. tridentata and Stauracanthus boivinii, and a heath, Erica scoparia. About 100 seedlings m-2 of 14 woody species were censused in the first three years after fire. The highest density of seedlings was recorded for heather (Calluna vulgaris), a rockrose (Cistus populifolius subsp. major) and a gorse (Genista triacanthos). Woody vegetation covered up to 85% of the soil surface in the third year after fire. At this stager the community was co-dominated by the sprouters Quercus lusitanica (21%), Genista tridentata (21%) and Stauracanthus boivinii (20%), and the seeder Cistus populifolius subsp. major (20%). A total of 52 herbaceous species, many of them (35) perennials, was recorded, showing a temporal change in species composition. The role of fire influencing community diversity and the consequences for the conservation of heathlands in the Strait of Gibraltar region, are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Minea ◽  
Gabriela Ioana-Toroimac ◽  
Gabriela Moroşanu

Abstract This paper aimed to investigate the dominant runoff processes (DRP’s) at plot-scale in the Curvature Subcarpathians under natural rainfall conditions characteristic for Romania’s temperate environment. The study was based on 32 selected rainfall-runoff events produced during the interval April–September (2014–2017). By comparing water balance on the analyzed Luvisol plots for two types of land use (grassland vs. bare soil), we showed that DRP’s are mostly formed by Hortonian Overland Flow (HOF), 47% vs. 59% respectively. On grassland, HOF is followed by Deep Percolation (DP, 31%) and Fast Subsurface Flow (SSF, 22%), whereas, on bare soil, DP shows a higher percentage (38%) and SSF a lower one (3%), which suggests that the soil-root interface controls the runoff generation. Concerning the relationship between antecedent precipitation and runoff, the study indicated the nonlinearity of the two processes, more obvious on grassland and in drought conditions than on bare soil and in wet conditions (as demonstrated by the higher runoff coefficients). Moreover, the HOF appeared to respond differently to rainfall events on the two plots - slightly longer lag-time, lower discharge and lower volume on grassland - which suggests the hydrologic key role of vegetation in runoff generation processes.


Soil Research ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 269 ◽  
Author(s):  
KL Bristow

Both the quantity and architecture of a surface mulch affect its performance in modifying the soil microenvironment. In this paper, temperature under two simple mulch architectures is compared and contrasted with that of bare soil in a tropical environment. In mulch treatments the quantities of mulch per unit area were similar, but elements in one treatment were horizontal (forming a 5 cm layer) while in the other they were vertical (forming a 22 cm layer). Temperatures were recorded for several days as the soil dried following a storm which saturated the mulch and surface soil. The bare soil dried more rapidly than that with mulch, so that by the fourth day its hourly maximum surface temperature was 8�C higher, and that at 2 5 cm depth was 3�C higher, than soil temperatures under the mulch. Significant differences in soil temperatures under the two mulch treatments only appeared several days later, as subtle differences in the partitioning of energy by the two mulch canopies became more apparent with drier conditions. By the twelfth day, the maximum surface temperature under the vertical mulch was 7�C higher than that under the horizontal mulch. Minimum soil temperatures were never more than 2.5�C different between the bare and mulched treatments and converged with drying. In both mulch treatments, the mulch elements near the soil surface experienced greater temperature extremes than those at the top of the mulch layer. The range in element temperature was slightly greater in the horizontal mulch treatment than in the vertical mulch treatment, where the element temperatures were more closely tied to air temperatures. The first few days following rain are crucial for seedling establishment in the semi-arid tropics and it appears from this study that mulch architecture is of minor importance during this period.


2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Parr

Abstract This commentary focuses upon the relationship between two themes in the target article: the ways in which a Markov blanket may be defined and the role of precision and salience in mediating the interactions between what is internal and external to a system. These each rest upon the different perspectives we might take while “choosing” a Markov blanket.


Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Joiner ◽  
Melanie A. Hom ◽  
Megan L. Rogers ◽  
Carol Chu ◽  
Ian H. Stanley ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: Lowered eye blink rate may be a clinically useful indicator of acute, imminent, and severe suicide risk. Diminished eye blink rates are often seen among individuals engaged in heightened concentration on a specific task that requires careful planning and attention. Indeed, overcoming one’s biological instinct for survival through suicide necessitates premeditation and concentration; thus, a diminished eye blink rate may signal imminent suicidality. Aims: This article aims to spur research and clinical inquiry into the role of eye blinks as an indicator of acute suicide risk. Method: Literature relevant to the potential connection between eye blink rate and suicidality was reviewed and synthesized. Results: Anecdotal, cognitive, neurological, and conceptual support for the relationship between decreased blink rate and suicide risk is outlined. Conclusion: Given that eye blinks are a highly observable behavior, the potential clinical utility of using eye blink rate as a marker of suicide risk is immense. Research is warranted to explore the association between eye blink rate and acute suicide risk.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin N. Stevens ◽  
Joseph R. Bardeen ◽  
Kyle W. Murdock

Parenting behaviors – specifically behaviors characterized by high control, intrusiveness, rejection, and overprotection – and effortful control have each been implicated in the development of anxiety pathology. However, little research has examined the protective role of effortful control in the relation between parenting and anxiety symptoms, specifically among adults. Thus, we sought to explore the unique and interactive effects of parenting and effortful control on anxiety among adults (N = 162). Results suggest that effortful control uniquely contributes to anxiety symptoms above and beyond that of any parenting behavior. Furthermore, effortful control acted as a moderator of the relationship between parental overprotection and anxiety, such that overprotection is associated with anxiety only in individuals with lower levels of effortful control. Implications for potential prevention and intervention efforts which specifically target effortful control are discussed. These findings underscore the importance of considering individual differences in self-regulatory abilities when examining associations between putative early-life risk factors, such as parenting, and anxiety symptoms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole L. Hofman ◽  
Austin M. Hahn ◽  
Christine K. Tirabassi ◽  
Raluca M. Gaher

Abstract. Exposure to traumatic events and the associated risk of developing Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is a significant and overlooked concern in the college population. It is important for current research to identify potential protective factors associated with the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms unique to this population. Emotional intelligence and perceived social support are two identified protective factors that influence the association between exposure to traumatic events and PTSD symptomology. The current study examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD symptoms. Participants included 443 trauma-exposed university students who completed online questionnaires. The results of this study indicated that social support mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and reported PTSD symptoms. Thus, emotional intelligence is significantly associated with PTSD symptoms and social support may play an integral role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD. The current study is the first to investigate the role of social support in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD symptoms. These findings have important treatment and prevention implications with regard to PTSD.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peizhen Sun ◽  
Jennifer J. Chen ◽  
Hongyan Jiang

Abstract. This study investigated the mediating role of coping humor in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and job satisfaction. Participants were 398 primary school teachers in China, who completed the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, Coping Humor Scale, and Overall Job Satisfaction Scale. Results showed that coping humor was a significant mediator between EI and job satisfaction. A further examination revealed, however, that coping humor only mediated two sub-dimensions of EI (use of emotion and regulation of emotion) and job satisfaction. Implications for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.


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