Species Composition and Structure of Oak-Saw Palmetto Scrub Vegetation

摘要

In 1983 we sampled using permanent line transects four stands of oak-saw palmetto scrub vegetation that were 2, 4, 8, and 25 years since the previous fire; these transects were resampled two years later. We sampled and analyzed soils from the 0-15 cm and 15 30 cm layer at each transect. The stands were dominated by Quercus murtifolia, Q. geminata, Q. chapmanii, Serenoa repens, and ericaceous shrubs. Species composition was closely related to depth to the water table and related soil parameters as indicated by detrended canonical correspondence analysis ordination of vegetation and environmental data. Postfire recovery was by sprouting of the dominant shrubs with little change in species composition or richness. The initial growth of Serenoa repens after fire exceeded that of the oaks, resulting in shifts in dominance postfire. Total cover greater than 0.5 m required six years to reach 100 and 8-10 years to reach a maximum. Total cover less than 0.5 m increased initially and then declined. Mean height reached one m in four to six years and continued to increase with stand age. Recovery rates have implications for the suitability of this habitat for scrub endemic species.