The Relative Advantages of Seeding and Sprouting in Fire-Prone Environments: a Comparison of Life Histories of Protea neriifolia and Protea nitida

Abstract

Woody shrubs that are killed by fire and that regenerate exclusively from seed are often dominant in shrublands in mediterranean-climate regions of the world (Kruger 1983; Keeley 1986). Seed-regenerating plants (hereafter termed seeders) of the genera Arctostaphylos and Ceanothus dominate extensive communities in chaparral (Keeley and Keeley 1988), whereas pines (Pinus spp.) often dominate communities in the Mediterranean Basin (e.g. Mazurek and Romane 1986). Reseeding taxa of Banksia and Hakea spp. are important components of kwongan (Beard 1990), and Protea and Leucadendron are important in fynbos communities (Kruger 1979). Tall woody sprouters dominate landscapes in chaparral, e.g. Adenostoma fasciculatum (Stohlgren and Rundel 1986), and kwongan, e.g. Banksia attenuata (Beard 1984), but are seldom dominant in fynbos (see Chap. 4).