Seed germination of montane forest species in response to ash, smoke and heat shock in Mexico

Abstract

In many fire-prone ecosystems, seed germination is triggered by heat shock, smoke, ash and charred wood. However, few studies concerning the effect of these fire products on the germination of tropical and subtropical species exist. We assessed the effect of fire products and their interactions on seed germination in 12 species that frequently grow in burned areas of pine–oak and mixed forest in a mountainous subtropical area. Each species was exposed to a predetermined treatment of heat shock, which was optimised in accordance with a previous study. For smoke treatments, seeds were immersed in smoke water, whereas for ash treatments, 1.5 g of ash was added to the incubation medium. Germination increased in 92% of the species in response to the products of fire. Both the smoke water and the ash treatments promoted germination in four species that had permeable seed covers and physiological dormancy. Six species with physical dormancy required both heat shock and smoke water or ash to break dormancy. Our results indicate that seed germination response to fire products depends on the species and/or dormancy type. The germination response to the fire products varied between species; therefore, fire products may influence the species composition in post-fire regeneration.