Online-only Table 3 Fire-related traits to describe responses of plant species to fire.
From: Fire ecology database for documenting plant responses to fire events in Australia
Trait name | Trait code | Description |
|---|---|---|
Dispersal/Seed | ||
Propagule dispersal mode | disp1 | Categorical. Propagule dispersal mode. |
Germination/Seed | ||
Seedbank type | germ1 | Categorical. Location & persistence of seedbank. |
Heat-pulse-cued germination | germ2 | Categorical. Germination response to heat pulse. |
Smoke-cued germination | germ3 | Categorical. Germination response to smoke treatments. |
Heat shock-smoke interactive | ||
germination cue | germ4 | Categorical. Germination response to combined heat and smoke treatments. |
H50 | germ5 | Numerical. Minimum temperature of heat pulse (exposure time up to 10 mins) producing 50% germination from viable fraction. |
H-max | germ6 | Numerical. Temperature of heat pulse (exposure time up to 10 mins) producing maximum % germination from dormant fraction. |
H-lethal | germ7 | Numerical. Minimum temperature of heat pulse (exposure time up to 10 mins) at which all seeds are killed. |
Seed dormancy type | germ8 | Categorical. Seed dormancy type |
TBA | germ9 | Categorical. TBA |
Postfire residual seedbank | germ10 | Categorical. TBA |
Growth/Standing plant | ||
Age to develop regenerative/resistance organs | grow1 | Numerical. Developmental age for fire- regenerative or resistant organs (Age at which half an even-aged cohort can survive full scorch). |
Age to reach maximum growth stage | grow2 | Age of a cohort at which 50% of individuals reach their maximum growth stage |
Maximum growth stage | grow2a | Taxon-specific definition of maximum growth stage (e.g. specify a minimum plant height, canopy diam. organ development (e.g. rhizome), dbh, presence of hollows, etc.) |
Maximum bark thickness | grow3 | Numeric. Maximum bark thickness [mm]. |
Maximum plant height | grow4 | Numeric. Maximum plant height [m]. |
Recruitment/Seedling | ||
Postfire seedling recruitment | rect1 | Categorical. The observed incidence of post-fire (within first 5 years after fire) seedling recruitment |
Establishment pattern | rect2 | Categorical. Seedling establishment pattern in relation to mature vegetation. |
Seedling emergence phenology | rect3 | Categorical. The month(s) of seedling emergence event. Enter either: i) square brackets with comma-separated first month, peak month and last month of seedling emergence event; or ii) single month of observed emergence if first, peak & last unknown) |
Seedling emergence phenology — rainfall context | rect3a | Categorical. Occurrence of significant dry spell ( > 3 months with < 10 mm in any week) during the period between fire and seedling emergence |
Reproduction/Standing plant | ||
Flowering time | repr1 | Earliest (1st decile of individuals) and latest (10th decile of individuals) month flowering was observed |
Post-fire flowering response | repr2 | Categorical. Strength of flowering response after fire events. |
Age at first flower production (from seed) | repr3 | Numerical. Age at first flower production (years). |
Time to first postfire reproduction (from resprouts) | repr3a | Numerical. Time to first reproduction after fire for resprouting taxa (years). |
Maturation age | repr4 | Numerical. Years taken for 50% of an even-aged cohort to produce their first viable seed. |
Age at maximum seed production | repr5 | Numeric. Age of a cohort at which seed production reaches a peak, before declining with age |
Age of maximum seed bank size | repr6 | Numeric. Age of a cohort at which the accumulated seedbank reaches a peak (usually derived from models of seedbank dynamics) |
Resprout flowering response to summer fire | repr7a | Proportion of surviving resprouting individuals that produce a seed/spore crop within the first five years after a summer (Dec-Feb sth hemisphere) fire. |
Flowering response to autumn fire | repr7b | Proportion of surviving resprouting individuals that produce a seed/spore crop within the first five years after an autumn (Mar-May sth hem-isphere) fire. |
Flowering response to winter fire | repr7c | Proportion of surviving resprouting individuals that produce a seed/spore crop within the first five years after a winter (Jun-Aug sth hemi-sphere) fire. |
Flowering response to spring fire | repr7d | Proportion of surviving resprouting individuals that produce a seed/spore crop within the first five years after a winter (Jun-Aug sth hemi-sphere) fire. |
Survival/Standing plant | ||
Resprouting - full canopy scorch | surv1 | Categorical. Proportion of individuals surviving & resprouting after full canopy scorch. |
Basal scorch response (scorch height <50% of plant height) | surv2 | Non-ordinal categories of survival response for plants subjected to basal scorch. |
Survival - basal scorch | surv3 | Ordinal categories of survival and resprouting proportions for plants subjected to LESS THAN 100% canopy scorch. |
Regenerative organ | surv4 | Categorical. Regenerative organ type. |
Standing plant longevity (max) | surv5 | Numerical. Maximum life span in situ. |
Survival/Seed | ||
Seedbank half-life | surv6 | Numerical. Time taken for half of an even-aged seed crop to die/decay in situ. |
Seed longevity | surv7 | Numerical. Maximum life span in situ. |
