Abstract
Summer wildfires and autumn torrential rainfall are the background to the development of one of the most important environmental problems in the western Mediterranean area: erosion, degradation of soil structure and desertification. These processes especially affect plant communities located in old abandoned fields where woody sprouters are practically absent. Under these conditions, post-fire vegetation cover is dependent on obligate seeders and, in the short term, especially on resprouting perennial grasses. Brachypodium retusum is a rhizomatous perennial grass that plays a particularly important role in the resilience of these fire-prone Mediterranean ecosystems. In Mediterranean gorse shrublands, during the first few years after a fire, this species represents 90% of plant cover and biomass. The recurrence or severity of fire does not seem to affect the regeneration capacity of this species. After two years, even under high fire frequency (12 years) and high fire severity (> 400 °C), it recovers both cover and biomass. Nevertheless, this species, a key factor in the control of soil erosion, is extremely affected by erosion processes. A single extreme rainfall event reduces the rate of regeneration of B. retusum by about 50%. The reduction in the protective cover of this species may result in degradation and eventual self-induced degrading process in the ecosystem.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abad N., Caturla R., Baeza J., Bladé C., Vieira F., Carbó E., Valdecantos A., Bonet A., Serrasolses I., Guàrdia R., Raventós J., Alloza J.A., Escarré A., Bellot J. and Vallejo V.R. 1996. Regeneración de los montes quemados. In: Vallejo V.R. (Ed.), La Restauración de la Cubierta Vegetal en la Comunidad Valenciana. CEAM-Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, pp. 52–148.
Aronson J., Floret C., Le Floc'h E., Ovalle C. and Pontanier R. 1993. Restoration and rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems in arid and semi-arid lands. I. A view from the south. Restoration Ecology 1: 8–17.
Baeza M.J. 2001. Aspectos ecológicos y técnicas de control de combustible (roza y quema controlada) en matorrales con alto riesgo de incendio dominados por Ulex parviflorus (Pourr.). PhD. Thesis. Department of Ecology. University of Alicante, Spain.
Baeza M.J., De Luis M., Raventós J. and Escarré A. 2002. Factors influencing fire behaviour in shrublands of different stand ages and the implications for using prescribed burning to reduce wildfire risk. Journal of Environmental Management 65: 199–208.
Bautista S. 1999. Regeneración post-incendio de un pinar (Pinus halepensis, Miller) en ambiente semiárido. Erosión del suelo y medidas de conservación a corto plazo. PhD. Thesis. Department of Ecology. University of Alicante, Spain.
Blondel J. and Aronson J. 1999. Biology and Wildlife of the Mediterranean Region. Oxford Univ. Press, UK, pp. 328.
Caturla R.N., Raventós J., Guardia R. and Vallejo V.R. 2000. Early post-fire regeneration dynamics of Brachypodium retusum Pers. (Beauv) in old fields of the Valencia region (eastern Spain). Acta Oecologica 21: 1–12.
Cerdà A. 1998. Soil aggregate stability under different Mediterranean vegetation types. Catena 32: 73–86.
Chirino E., Sánchez J.R., Bonet A. and Bellot J. 2001. Effects of afforestation and vegetation dynamics on soil erosion in a semiarid environment (SE Spain). In: Villacampa Y., Brebbia C.A. and Usó J.L. (Eds.), Ecosystems and Sustainable Development III. Wit Press, Southampton, pp. 239–248.
Davenport D.W., Breshears D.D., Wilcox B.P. and Allen C.D. 1998. Viewpoint: sustainability of piñon-juniper ecosystems: a unifying perspective of soil erosion thresholds. Journal of Range Management 51: 229–236.
De la Torre A. and Alías L. 1996. Suelos y vegetación en el Alto Vinalopó. Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Alicante, Alicante.
De Luis M., González-Hidalgo J.C. and Raventós J. 2003. Effects of fire and torrential rainfall on erosion in a Mediterranean gorse community. Land Degradation and Development 14: 203–213.
De Luis M., Raventós J., González-Hidalgo J.C., Sánchez J.R. and Cortina J. 2000. Spatial analysis of rainfall trends in the region of Valencia (East Spain). International Journal of Climatology 20: 1451–1469.
De Luis M. 2000. Estudio Espacial y Temporal de las Tendencias de Lluvia en la Comunidad Valenciana (1961-1990). Geoforma Ediciones e Instituto de Cultura Juan Gil-Albert., Logroño, pp. 112.
Elwell H. and Stoking M. 1976. Vegetal cover to estimate soil erosion hazard in Rhodesia. Geoderma 15: 61–70.
García-Cano M.F., De Luis M., Cortina J., Sánchez J.R., González-Hidalgo J.C. and Raventós J. 1998. Runoff and sediment yield in burnt areas as affected by intense rainfall events. Proc. 15th International Sedimentological Congress. Publicaciones de la Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, pp. 359–359.
González-Hidalgo J.C., De Luis M., Raventós J. and Sánchez J.R. 2001. Spatial distribution of seasonal rainfall trends in a western Mediterranean area. International Journal of Climatology 21: 843–860.
González-Hidalgo J.C., De Luis M., Raventós J. and Sánchez J.R. Daily rainfall trend in the Valencia region of Spain. Theoretical and Applied Climatology (in pres.).
Haidinger T.L. and Keeley J.E. 1993. Role of high fire frequency in destruction of mixed chaparral. Madroño 40: 141–147.
Hanes T.L. 1977. California chaparral. In: Barbour M.G. and Major J. (Eds.), Terrestrial vegetation of California. J. Wiley and Sons, New York, New York, USA. pp. 417–470.
Hanks R.J. and Thorp F.C. 1957. Seedling emergence of wheat, grain sorghum and soybeans as influence by soil crust strength and moisture content. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 21: 357–359.
Herranz J.M., Ferrandis P. and Martínez-Sánchez J.J. 1998. Influence of heat on seed germination of seven Mediterranean Leguminoseae species. Plant Ecology 136: 95–103.
Houghton J.T., Ding Y., Griggs D.J., Noguer M., van der Linden P.J. and Xiaosu D. (Eds.), 2001. Climate change 2001. The scientific basis. Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 896.
Inbar M., Tamir M. in Wittenberg L. 1998. Runoff and erosion processes after a forest fire in Mount Carmel, a Mediterranean area. Geomorphology 24: 17–33.
Keeley J.E. 1986. Resilience of Mediterranean shrub communities to fire. In: Dell B., Hopkins A.J.M. and Lamont B.B. (Eds.), Resilience in Mediterranean Type Ecosystems. Dr W. Junk, Dordrecht, pp. 95–112.
Lloret F. 1998. Fire, canopy cover and seedling dynamics in Mediterranean shrubland of northeastern Spain. Journal of Vegetation Science 9: 417–430.
Moreno J.M. and Oechel W.C. 1991a. Fire intensity effects on germination of shrubs and herbs in southern California chaparral. Ecology 72: 1993–2004.
Moreno J.M. and Oechel W.C. 1991b. Fire intensity and herbivory effects on post-fire resprouting of Adenostoma fasciculatum in southern California chaparral. Oecologia 85: 429–433.
Moreno J.M., Vázquez A. and Vélez R. 1998. Recent history of forest fires in Spain. In: Moreno J.M. (Ed.), Large Forest Fires. Backbuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 159–185.
Naveh Z. 1974. Effects of fire in the Mediterranean regions. In: Kozlowski T.T. and Ahlgren C.E. (Eds.), Fire and Ecosystems. Academic Press, New York, pp. 401–434.
New M., Todd M.C., Hulme M. and Jones P. 2002. Precipitation measurements and trends in the twentieth century. International Journal of Climatology 21: 1899–1922.
Oechel W.C. 1990. Effects of fire regeneration: The ecophysiological response of seedlings and sprouts. In: El papel del fuego en los ecosistemas mediterráneos. UIMP, Valencia.
Piñol J., Terradas J. and Lloret F. 1998. Climate warming, wildfire hazard and wildfire occurrence in coastal eastern Spain. Climatic Change 38: 345–357.
Quintana-Ascencio P.F. and Morales-Hernández M. 1997. Firemediated effects of shrubs, lichens and herbs on the demography of Hypericum cumulicola in patchy Florida scrub. Oecologia 112: 263–271.
Rathore T.R., Ghildyal B.P. and Sachan R.S. 1983. Effect of surface crusting on emergence of soybean (Glicine max L. Merr.) seedlings. I. Influence of aggregate size in the seedbed. Soil & Tillage Research 3: 111–121.
Rubio A. and Escudero A. 2000. Small-scale spatial soil-plant relationship in semi-arid gypsum environments. Plant and Soil 220: 139–150.
Thornes J.B. 1985. The ecology of erosion. Geography 70: 222– 236.
Thornes J.B. 1987. Models for palaeohydrology in practice. In: Gregory K.J., Lewin J. and Thornes J.B. (Eds.), Palaeohydrology in Practice. John Wiley and Sons Ltd., pp. 17–35.
Thornes J.B. 1988. Erosional equilibria under grazing. In: Bintliff I., Grant E. and Davidson D.A. (Eds.), Conceptual issues in environmental archeology. University Press, Edinborough, pp. 193–210.
Thornes J.B. 1990. The interaction of erosional and deposition dynamics in land degradation: spatial outcomes. In: Thornes J.B. (Ed.), Vegetation and Erosion. John Wiley and Son, Chisterter., pp. 41–53.
Trabaud L. and Lepart J. 1981. Changes on the floristic composition of a Quercus coccifera L. garrigue in relation to different fire regimes. Vegetatio 46: 105–116.
Trabaud L. 1994. Diversity of the Soil Seed Bank of a Mediterranean Quercus ilex Forest. Biological Conservation 69: 107–114.
Trabaud L. 1994. The effect of fire on nutrient losses and cycling in a Quercus coccifera garrigue (southern France). Oecologia 99: 379–386.
Trabaud L. 1998. Recuperación y regeneración de ecosistemas Mediterráneos incendiados. Serie Geográfica 7: 37–47.
Vilà M., Lloret F., Ogheri E. and Terradas J. 2001. Positive firegrass feedback in Mediterranean Basin woodlands. Forest Ecology and Management 147: 3–14.
Whelan R.J. 1995. The ecology of fire. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 346 p.
Zedler P.H., Gautier C.R. and McMaster G.S. 1983. Vegetation change in response to extreme events: The effect of a short interval between fires in California chaparral and coastal scrub. Ecology 64: 809–818.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Luis, M., Raventós, J., Cortina, J. et al. Fire and torrential rainfall: effects on the perennial grass Brachypodium retusum . Plant Ecology 173, 225–232 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029321.92655.a6
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029321.92655.a6