Short-term response of old-field plant communities to fire and disturbance

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

American Midland Naturalist

Publication Date

1993

Volume

129

Issue

2

First Page

409

Last Page

413

Publisher

University of Notre Dame * Department of Biological Sciences

Abstract

We examined the mechanisms that cause short-term changes in old-field plant communities in the 1st yr following two different disturbances: tilling and burning. In particular, we wanted to determine whether short-term changes in plant community structure following disturbance were more strongly influenced by interspecific differences in growth rates or interspecific differences in germination and establishment ability. Because the density of annual plants varied more across treatments than plant size, we concluded that differences in germination and establishment were important causes of community change in the 1st yr following disturbance. Thus, a more detailed mechanistic understanding of the factors influencing germination and establishment will be necessary to understand community patterns in this old-field system.

Print ISSN

00030031

E-ISSN

19384238

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 1993 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

McGinley, M. A., & Tilman, D. (1993). Short-term response of old-field plant communities to fire and disturbance. American Midland Naturalist, 129(2), 409-413. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2426523

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