Establishment of Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) in Burned Pampean Grasslands

The effect of a single fire event on the subsequent invasion dynamics of honey locust was studied in old-field and relict tussock grasslands of the Inland Pampa, Buenos Aires, Argentina. We added tree seeds to control (nonburned) and burned plots and monitored the recruitment and individual growth o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Weed technology 2004-01, Vol.18, p.1325-1329
Main Authors: Chaneton, Enrique J., Mazia, C. Noemí, Marina Machera, Andrea Uchitel, Ghersa, Claudio M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Grasses
Grassland fires
Locusts
Pampas
Plant invasions
Plants
Seedlings
Tree growth
Tussock grasslands
Woodland grasslands
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The effect of a single fire event on the subsequent invasion dynamics of honey locust was studied in old-field and relict tussock grasslands of the Inland Pampa, Buenos Aires, Argentina. We added tree seeds to control (nonburned) and burned plots and monitored the recruitment and individual growth of three plant cohorts during 1999 to 2003. Burning increased seedling emergence during wet years, especially in tussock grassland. However, growth of establishing trees was significantly reduced in burned grassland plots. Without prior burning, tree growth was most strongly suppressed by the native tussock grass community. Thus, honey locust invasion into burned grasslands was a context-dependent process, which varied in response to interannual climate fluctuation and resident community structure.
ISSN:0890-037X
1550-2740
DOI:10.1614/0890-037X(2004)018[1325:EOHLGT]2.0.CO;2