Spatial patterns in taiga plant communities following fire

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Botany
• Main Author: Schaefer, James A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1993
• Subjects: taiga
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b93-191; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b93-191

The scales of spatial patterns of the vascular understorey were examined during postfire succession in the taiga of southeastern Manitoba. Patterns of individual species from analogous burned (5 years old) and old-growth (≥ 90 years old) communities were revealed using Paired Quadrat Variance; multispecies patterns were determined with Moran's I following ordination. The scales of single-species patterns were variable within communities and not significantly different between the two age classes. Similarly, multispecies patterns displayed no consistent differences in scale according to age of the community. The results fail to support the hypothesis that the scale of the spatial pattern in plant communities increases with stand age. Key words: fire, taiga, spatial scale, succession.