Soil temperature and depth of legume germination during early and late dry season fires in a tropical eucalypt savanna of north-eastern Australia

Title
Soil temperature and depth of legume germination during early and late dry season fires in a tropical eucalypt savanna of north-eastern Australia
Publication Date
2004
Author(s)
Williams, PR
Congdon, RA
Grice, AC
Clarke, Peter John
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia
Place of publication
Australia
DOI
10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01343.x
UNE publication id
une:2921
Abstract
Temperatures that significantly increase seed germination of some tropical legumes (i.e. 80–100°C) were documented in the topsoil during the passage of early (May) and late (October) dry season fires in a tropical eucalypt savanna of north-eastern Australia. Elevated temperatures penetrated at least 30 mm into the soil during the higher-intensity, late dry season fires, but were only detected at 10 mm during the early dry season fires. The depth from which germination of two native legume forbs 'Galactia tenuiflora' and 'Indigofera hirsuta' occurred was positively related to the temperature elevation in the topsoil and was greater after late compared with early dry season fires. A broader range in germination depth, resulting in higher seedling densities, was recorded for 'I hirsuta' after late dry season fires. These results suggest that seedling emergence of native leguminous forbs is likely to occur at a greater density after late rather than early dry season fires in tropical eucalypt savannas of north-eastern Australia. Therefore, the season of burning, as a result of its relationship to fire intensity, can influence species composition through its effect on seed germination.
Link
Citation
Austral Ecology, 29(3), p. 258-263
ISSN
1442-9993
1442-9985
Start page
258
End page
263

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