FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Thamnosma montana | Mojave Desertrue 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Regeneration of Mojave desertrue after fire in not described in research
currently available.  However, since it produces new branches from the
root crown, it probably can sprout from the root crown if top-killed by
fire.  Mojave desertrue probably also colonizes burned areas via
animal-dispersed seeds.

Fire frequency in the communities where Mojave desertrue occurs depends
on productivity and continuity of fuels.  Where livestock grazing has
reduced grass cover and accelerated erosion, fire frequency has
decreased [17,31].  In creosotebush scrub communities, fires generally
occur in those occasional years when exceptionally heavy winter rains
have produced abnormally heavy stands of annuals [14].  Fires are also
rare in blackbrush communities; however, these communities have been
known to burn under conditions of high temperature, high wind velocity,
and low relative humidity [14].  Pinyon-juniper communities historically
burned every 10 to 30 years [31].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

Related categories for Species: Thamnosma montana | Mojave Desertrue