FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Aristida purpurea | Purple Threeawn 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Purple threeawn is generally reduced by fire for several growing
seasons.  Wright and others [63] found that purple threeawn cover
usually decreased after fire on the southern Great Plains.  Purple
threeawn cover was not greatly reduced by fire, however, when winter and
spring precipitation was 40 percent or more above normal.

Purple threeawn recovers from fire by tillering [15,52,62,63].  It
probably also establishes from seed after fire.  It is a seedbanking
species [35] with seeds stored below ground, where they are insulated
from heat damage by fire [63].  New seeds are probably added to the
seedbank soon after fire, since seeds from off-site plants are readily
dispersed by animals [56].  Also, fire may stimulate seed production in
surviving plants.  Trlica and Schuster [52] reported that Fendler
threeawn subjected to prescribed fire produced a large seedcrop the
second growing season after fire (see PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE).


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Caudex, growing points in soil
   Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
   Secondary colonizer - on-site seed

Related categories for Species: Aristida purpurea | Purple Threeawn