Fire synchronizes flowering and boosts reproduction in a widespread but declining prairie species.

ABSTRACT: Fire is an important determinant of habitat structure and biodiversity across ecosystems worldwide. In fire-dependent communities, similar to the North American prairie, fire suppression contributes to local plant extinctions. Yet the demographic mechanisms responsible for species loss have not been directly investigated. We conducted a 21-y longitudinal study of 778 individual plants of Echinacea angustifolia, a widespread perennial species with chronically limited mating opportunities, to explore how fire affects reproduction. In a large preserve, with management units on different burn schedules, we investigated Echinacea mating scenes, which quantify isolation from potential mates and overlap in the timing of flowering, to determine the extent to which fire influences the potential for

SUBMITTER: Wagenius S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7022177 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature