FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Gutierrezia microcephala | Threadleaf Snakeweed 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Desert shrub communities in which threadleaf snakeweed occurs do not
burn regularly.  Fire frequency depends on the continuity of fuels,
which may only be adequate for fire after wet years.  Fire in blackbrush
(Coleogyne ramosissima) communities is rare but does occur with high
temperatures, high wind velocity, and low relative humidity.  Arid
grasslands burn more regularly than desert shrub communities.  Where
livestock grazing has reduced grass cover, however, fire frequency has
decreased.  Woody species have increased on grasslands with fire
suppression and heavy grazing [17,42].

Threadleaf snakeweed probably resists fire by regenerating from buried
seed and by surviving in unburned patches.


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

Related categories for Species: Gutierrezia microcephala | Threadleaf Snakeweed