• FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS
• POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:

Plains prickly-pear plants are vulnerable to fire [49,93,106]. Plants regenerate by sprouting from the root crown, by layering of unburned or partially burned stem pieces that contact soil, and from seedling establishment [1,13,56,93,97]. 

Many succulents, including plains prickly-pear, live in fire-prone habitats with fire frequencies ranging from 1 to 3 years (Canadian prairies), to more than 250 years (Sonoran Desert). Succulent mortality after a fire is often greater than 50%, but rarely total. Authors speculate that increased fire severity causes increased succulent mortality, but data are lacking [46,93].

Fire regimes for plant communities and ecosystems in which plains prickly-pear is likely to occur are summarized below. For further information regarding fire regimes and fire ecology of communities and ecosystems where plains prickly-pear is found, see the `Fire Ecology and Adaptations' section of the FEIS species summary for the plant community or ecosystem dominants listed below.

Community or Ecosystem	Dominant Species	Fire Return Interval Range (years)
bluestem prairie	Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii-Schizachyrium scoparium	< 10 [12,54]
sagebrush steppe	Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata	20-70 [12]
basin big sagebrush	A. t. var. tridentata	12-43 [81]
Wyoming big sagebrush	A. t. var. wyomingensis	10-70 (40)** [30,108]
saltbush-greasewood	Atriplex confertifolia-Sarcobatus vermiculatus	< 35 to < 100
desert grasslands	Bouteloua eriopoda and/or Pleuraphis mutica	5-100
plains grasslands	Bouteloua spp.	< 35
blue grama-needle-and-thread grass-western wheatgrass	B. gracilis-Hesperostipa comata-Pascopyrum smithii	< 35
blue grama-buffalo grass	B. gracilis-Buchloe dactyloides	< 35
grama-galleta steppe	Bouteloua gracilis-Pleuraphis jamesii	< 35 to < 100
blue grama-tobosa prairie	B. gracilis-Pleuraphis mutica	< 35 to < 100
cheatgrass	Bromus tectorum	< 10
paloverde-cactus shrub	Cercidium microphyllum/Opuntia spp.	< 35 to < 100 [12]
curlleaf mountain-mahogany*	Cercocarpus ledifolius	13-1000 [2,82]
mountain-mahogany-Gambel oak scrub	C. l.-Quercus gambelii	< 35 to < 100
blackbrush	Coleogyne ramosissima	< 35 to < 100
western juniper	Juniperus occidentalis	20-70
wheatgrass plains grasslands	Pascopyrum smithii	< 35
pinyon-juniper	Pinus-Juniperus spp.	< 35 [12]
Mexican pinyon	P. cembroides	20-70 [65,91]
Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine*	P. ponderosa var. scopulorum	2-10
galleta-threeawn shrubsteppe	Pleuraphis jamesii-Aristida purpurea	< 35 to < 100
mesquite	Prosopis glandulosa	< 35 to < 100
mesquite-buffalo grass	P. g.-Buchloe dactyloides	< 35
Texas savanna	P. g. var. glandulosa	< 10
oak-juniper woodland (Southwest)	Quercus-Juniperus spp.	< 35 to < 200
little bluestem-grama prairie	Schizachyrium scoparium-Bouteloua spp.	< 35 [12]

*fire return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species summary
**(mean)  

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [89]:

Geophyte, growing points deep in soil

Related categories for SPECIES: Opuntia polyacantha | Plains Prickly-Pear