Post-fire regeneration patterns in the eastern Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Post-fire regeneration patterns (plant cover and richness) in the Valencia region (eastern Iberian Peninsula) are studied by analysing data from two different samplings after two periods of large fires (1991 and 1994). Emphasis is given to comparing different environmental conditions (thermo-Mediterranean vs. meso-Mediterranean; south facing vs. north facing slopes) and different bedrock types (limestone vs. marls). Results suggest that the highest post-fire cover and species richness is reached in thermo-Mediterranean conditions on limestone, and the main species are the resprouters Quercus coccifera and Brachypodium retusum. North-facing sites have higher plant cover than south-facing ones, and most life forms (trees, shrubs, grasses) have higher cover in these sites. Species richness is higher on north-facing sites than on the south-facing ones at the small scale (1 to 200 m2), but differences were not significant at the highest scale studied (1 000 m2). Plant species richness with increasing sampling area follows the classical log-log relationship; however, when species are segregated by life forms (woody species and herbs), different species-area relationships were found.