Community Composition and Regeneration of Lake Wales Ridge Wiregrass Flatwoods in Relation to Time-since-Fire

Abstract

most structurally important species in the community significantly varied among postfire age groups; wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana) frequency was lowest in long-unburned stands, but average cover of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) increased with time-since-fire. Plant species presence remained relatively constant across all stands. Estimated species richness and diversity did not change significantly with time-since-fire. Species composition of the seed bank did not closely resemble the aboveground community composition. Most species present in the seed bank (63%) were not found growing in any stand. Most wiregrass flatwoods species (89%) are capable of vegetative recovery and many (54%) were found to recover only vegetatively after fires. Although few significant shifts in plant species presence were detected along a gradient in fire history that spanned thirty years, important structural changes occurred, which eventually can have substantial impacts in fire suppressed communities. Species that recover vegetatively after fires, but are not present in the seed bank, could be lost from long-unburned flatwoods.