[PCA] ARTICLE: Fire synchronizes flowering and boosts reproduction in a widespread but declining prairie species

[Prescott, Leah J]

By  Stuart Wagenius, Jared Beck, and Gretel Kiefer

Significance:
We address a critical conservation concern: the loss of native plant species in fire-dependent ecosystems. Reduced fire frequency in ecosystems such as the North American prairie contributes to local extinctions. The leading hypothesis is that woody and large herbaceous species outcompete other species in the absence of fire. However, alternative mechanisms have not been investigated. In our 21-y study of a model prairie plant, Echinacea angustifolia, we demonstrate that fires synchronize reproduction, leading to increased mating opportunities and improved reproduction. Fire synchronizes flowering both among and within years, nearly doubling seed production. These findings demonstrate a potentially widespread mechanism by which fire can enhance plant reproduction, promote population growth, and maintain plant diversity in fire-dependent ecosystems worldwide.

See online: https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/01/21/1907320117

See also, a short video created by the Chicago Botanic Garden to accompany the paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTLXwNQ-BYI&feature=youtu.be

The article was picked up by the New York Times as well, see online: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/science/fire-coneflowers-echinacea-pollination.html


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Leah Prescott
Seeds of Success
National Collection Curator (Contractor)
202-912-7232

Seeds of Success<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/native-plant-and-seed-material-development/collection>
National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy>
Plant Conservation Alliance<http://www.plantconservationalliance.org/>
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