Vegetation composition on peatlands with different fire frequency in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra

Abstract

Peatlands can recover their ecosystem after the occurrence of fire through a process of vegetation succession. Areas with different fire frequencies had different vegetation dominance. We made several observations on areas that were burnt once, twice, three, and four times. The purpose of this study was to explain the differences in vegetation composition in areas with different fire frequencies. Saplings and understoreys were found in all fire frequency classes, seedlings were found in the once and three-times-burnt, poles were found in the once-burnt, and trees were only found in the once and twice-burnt. Exbucklandia populnea species dominated saplings that were observed in the once-burnt. In the twice-burnt, they were dominated by Malicope glabra, in the three-times-burnt was dominated by Alstonia pneumatophora and Exbucklandia populnea. In the four-times-burnt, the domination was by Exbucklandia populnea. The understoreys in the once, twice, and three-times-burnt were dominated by Asplenium longissimum whilst Athyrium esculentum dominated the four times-burnt.