Spatial patterns in
taiga plant communities
following fire.
James A. Schaefer
Department of Zoology,
The University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3T 2N2
1Present address: Dr. James Schaefer, Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9L 7B8
Schaefer, J.A. 1993. Spatial patterns in taiga plant communities following fire. Can. Journ. Botany 71: 1568-1573.
Abstract
The scales of spatial patterns of the vascular understory were examined during post fire 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.
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