Fuego y diversidad en la herriza

Zusammenfassung

Mediterranean heathlands or herrizas show one of the highest levels of plant diversity within the Strait of Gibraltar. This plant community is also characterized by a high number of pyrophytic species whose seed germination is triggered by fire cues. Thus, the age of theses populations would be in accordance with time since last fire. This study analyses the effect of time since last fire in woody plant diversity within herriza samples by using line transects. We found that both plant diversity and endemism decreased as time since last fire increased. The need of fire for germination of most of the speciesin the herriza might be the underlying reason. Thus, after long fire intervals the populations could undergo local extinction, as they do not have the opportunity to recruit new individuals from the seed bank. This trend found in the herrizasis yet another evidence to remark that fire is a natural element in Mediterranean habitats