Fire drives phylogenetic clustering in Mediterranean Basin woody plant communities

• Published in: The Journal of ecology Vol. 95; no. 6; pp. 1316 - 1323
• Main Authors: VERDÚ, M, PAUSAS, J.G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2007; British Ecological Society; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; basins; Biological and medical sciences; Biological taxonomies; Communities; Community structure; Ecological genetics; Evolution; evolutionary filtering; fire regime; fires; Flowers & plants; Forest & brush fires; Forest and land fires; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Genetics; heat; Human ecology; Mediterranean climate; phenotype; Phenotypic traits; phylogenetic structure; Phylogenetics; phylogeny; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Plant communities; Plant Community Dynamics; Plant mitochondria; Plant species; plant traits; Plants; post-fire recruitment; seeders; Seeds; Subhumid climates; subhumid zones; Synecology; Vegetation; Weather damages. Fires; Woody plants; Mediterranean Basin; Mediterranean Area; phylogenetic structure; Plant community; Mediterranean vegetation; fire regime; Phylogeny; Woody plant; Recruitment; evolutionary filtering; seeders; Fire ecology; Fire; post-fire recruitment; plant traits

1. Many Mediterranean plant species persist after fire because their seeds are protected from the heat of the fire (e.g. hard-coated seeds, serotinous cones), thus permitting rapid post-fire recruitment. For simplicity, this trait will hereafter be called P and its two possible phenotypes P+ (seeder...