Akdeniz Bitkilerinin Yangınla Olan İlişkisinin İncelenmesi ve Yangın Efemerallerinin Tespiti

Abstract

Fire is an important force on the plant communities of Mediterranean-type ecosystems. In this study, we aimed to assess the drivers of plant diversity and to determine fire-dependent species after a forest fire in 2013 in Milas district of Muğla province (Turkey) in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. By conducting field studies, we determined plant diversity in the recently burned site and surrounding habitats (old-burned site, Turkish Red Pine forest, and roadside habitat) during the first year after the fire Germination response of the members of the post-fire flora to fire-related cues was tested. Seeds belonging to 94 taxa were subjected to aqueous smoke solutions in different concentrations (1:1, 1:10, 1:100), and their germination were compared to the control (distilled water). Seeds of 29 Fabaceae taxa were subjected to heat shocks in various intensities (60 °C, 80 °C, 100 °C, 120 °C, 140 °C, 5 min.) and mechanical scarification to determine their germination in response to these cues. Germination response of Chaenorhinum rubrifolium (Plantaginaceae), a species only found in the recently burned site, to heat shock, smoke, and chemicals in smoke (karrikinolide, mandelonitrile ve nitrate) were examined in detail. The recently burned site had greater plant diversity than other habitats in the study. We identified 80 unique taxa only found in the recently burned site among the 362 plant taxa collected in the study. Evidence for heat shock-, smoke-, and light-stimulated germination were obtained in many taxa found in the recently burned site in germination experiments. In this study, several candidate taxa for fire ephemerals were proposed for the eastern Mediterranean Basin. The findings revealed that more studies are needed to determine the relationship between fire and plant species found in post-fire flora in the Mediterranean Basin. The results of the study supports the idea that fire is a significant force shaping plant traits and plant community structure in the Mediterranean Basin.