Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatiotemporal dynamics of recruitment in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Miller)

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Spatial and temporal aspects of recruitment play a central role in plant population and community dynamics and have important basic and applied implications. Here we summarize and discuss the results from studies of spatiotemporal dynamics of recruitment stages (seeds-seedlings-saplings) in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) throughout the species' native range. Seed release is induced either by fire (pyriscence) or by drying atmospheric conditions (xeriscence), each generating a distinct temporal pattern. In both cases most seeds travel relatively short distances (<30 m). Pyriscence is not expected to promote long-distance seed dispersal, but xeriscence is associated with relatively strong winds that can transport seeds over 1 km and more, as predicted by a new mechanistic dispersal model. In the absence of fire, seed survival increases with distance from adults because of higher competition with adults and sibs and higher seed predation near the seed sources. New data provide further evidence for such distance-dependent seed predation and also show that predation rates vary among habitats and are lowest in times of high seed abundance. The resulting recruitment patterns in the absence of fire are characterized by rapid spread and complex spatiotemporal dynamics that are fairly unpredictable and give rise to variable age structure. In contrast, the spatial pattern of the first post-fire generation is highly predictable because it explicitly replicates the spatial pattern of the pre-fire population. Unlike fire-free regeneration in which multiple factors operating at various stages are likely to be important, post-fire regeneration is governed by a fairly specific set of factors (the chemical properties of ash) operating during a specific stage (saplings) and at a specific location (the canopy projection of large burned pines). Post-fire forests are therefore even-aged and have predictable spatiotemporal dynamics. Most studies of Aleppo pine recruitment have focused on the seedling and sapling stages and on post-fire regeneration; we call for greater attention to the seed stage and to more extensive sampling of all recruitment stages in both space and time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acherar M., Lepart J. and Debussche M. 1984. La colonisation des friches par le pin d’Alep (Pinus halepensis Miller) en Languedoc méditerranéen. Acta Oecologica 5: 179–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen R. and Wardrop A.B. 1964. The opening and shedding mechanism of the female cones of Pinus radiata. Australian Journal of Botany 12: 125–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson L. and Milberg P. 1998. Variation in seed dormancy among mother plants, populations and years of seed collection. Seed Science Research 8: 29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arianoutsou M. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Post-fire regeneration of Pinus halepensis forests in the East Mediterranean. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 269–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbéro M., Loisel R., Quézel P., Richardson D.M. and Romane F. 1998. Pines of the Mediterranean basin. In: Richardson D.M. (ed.), Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 153–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cain M.L., Milligan B.G. and Strand A.E. 2000. Long-distance seed dispersal in plant populations. American Journal of Botany 87: 1217–1227.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cavers P.B. 1983. Seed demography. Canadian Journal of Botany 61: 3578–3590.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chambers J.C. and MacMahon J.A. 1994. A day in the life of a seed: movement and fates of seeds and their implications for natural and managed systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 25: 263–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheplick G.P. 1992. Sibling competition in plants. Journal of Ecology 80: 567–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark J.S., Beckage B., Camill P., Cleveland B., Hillerislambers J., Lighter J., Mclachlan J., Mohan J. and Wyckoff P. 1999. Interpreting recruitment limitation in forests. American Journal of Botany 86: 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daskalakou E.N. and Thanos C.A. 1996. Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) postfire regeneration: the role of canopy and soil seed banks. International Journal of Wildland Fire 6: 59–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daskalakou E.N. and Thanos C.A. 1997. Post-fire establishment and survival of Aleppo pine seedlings. In: Balabanis P., Eftichidis G. and Fantechi R. (eds) Forest Fire Risks and Management, Proceedings of the European school of climatology and natural hazards, Chalkidiki, Greece, pp. 357–368.

  • Daskalakou E.N. and Thanos C.A. 2004. Postfire regeneration of Aleppo pine: the temporal pattern of seedling recruitment. Plant Ecology, this issue.

  • De Las Heras J., Martínez-Sánchez J.J., González-Ochoa A.I., Ferrandis P. and Herranz J.M. 2002. Establishment of Pinus halepensis Mill. saplings following fire: effects of competition with shrub species. Acta Oecologica 23: 91–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doussi M.A. and Thanos C.A. 2002. The mechanism of cone opening in Pinus halepensis and P. brutia: morphology and physiology. In: Thanos C.A. (ed.), Conservation, Regeneration and Restoration of Mediterranean Pines and their Ecosystems (MedPine2), MAICh, Chania, Crete, Greece, p. 20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlen J. 1996. Spatiotemporal variation in predispersal seed predation. Oecologia 108: 708–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eshel A., Henig-Sever N. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Spatial variation of seedling distribution in an east Mediterranean pine woodland at the beginning of post-fire succession. Plant Ecology 148: 175–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferran A., Castell C., Farras A., Lopez L. and Vallejo R. 1991. Els efectes del foc en pinedes de la Catalunya central. Boletin Institut Catalan Historia Natural 59: 129–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia D., Zamora R., Gomez J.M., Jordano P. and Hodar J.A. 2000. Geographical variation in seed production, predation and abortion in Juniperus communis throughout its range in Europe. Journal of Ecology 88: 436–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goubitz S. 2001. Reproduction Ecology of Pinus halepensis. PhD dissertation. Utrecht University, Utrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greene D.F. and Calogeropoulos C. 2002. Measuring and modelling seed dispersal of terrestrial plants. In: Bullock J.M., Kenward R.E. and Hails R. (eds), Dispersal Ecology. Blackwell Science, Oxford, pp. 3–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greene D.F. and Johnson E.A. 1992. Can the variation in samara mass and terminal velocity on an individual plant affect the distribution of dispersal distances? American Naturalist 139: 825–838.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habrouk A., Retana J. and Espelta J.M. 1999. Role of heat tolerance and cone protection of seeds in the response of three pine species to wildfires. Plant Ecology 145: 91–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harlow W.M., Côté W.A., Jr. and Day A.C. 1964. The opening mechanism of pine cone scales. Journal of Forestry 62: 538–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harper J.L. 1977. Population Biology of Plants. Academic Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henig-Sever N., Eshel A. and Ne'eman G. 1996. pH and osmotic potential of pine ash as post-fire germination inhibitors. Physiologia Plantarum 96: 71–76.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henig-Sever N., Eshel A. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Regulation of the germination of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) by nitrate, ammonium, and gibberellin, and its role in post-fire forest regeneration. Physiologia Plantarum 108: 390–397.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herranz J.M., Martínez-Sánchez J.J., Marín A. and Ferrandis P. 1997. Postfire regeneration of Pinus halepensis Miller in a semiarid area in Albacete province (southeastern Spain). Ecoscience 4: 86–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrera C.M. 1998. Population-level estimates of interannual variability in seed production: what do they actually tell us? Oikos 82: 612–616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrera C.M., Jordano P., Guitian J. and Traveset A. 1998. Annual variability in seed production by woody plants and the masting concept: reassessment of principles and relationship to pollination and seed dispersal. American Naturalist 152: 576–594.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins S.I., Nathan R. and Cain M.L. 2003. Are long-distance dispersal events in plants usually caused by nonstandard means of dispersal? Ecology 84: 1945-1956.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe H.F. and Smallwood J. 1982. Ecology of seed dispersal. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 13: 201–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulme P.E. 1993. Postdispersal seed predation by small mammals. Symposium of the Zoological Society of London 65: 269–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hulme P.E. and Hunt M.K. 1999. Rodent post-dispersal seed predation in deciduous woodland: predator response to absolute and relative abundance of prey. Journal of Animal Ecology 68: 417–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Izhaki I., Henig-Sever N. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Soil seed banks in Mediterranean Aleppo pine forests: the effect of heat, cover and ash on seedling emergence. Journal of Ecology 88: 667–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Izhaki I. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Soil seed banks in Mediterranean pine forests. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 167–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janzen D.H. 1970. Herbivores and the number of tree species in tropical forests. American Naturalist 104: 501–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamont B.B., LeMaitre D.C., Cowling R.M. and Enright N.J. 1991. Canopy seed storage in woody plants. Botanical Review 57: 277–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leone V., Borghetti M. and Saracino A. 2000. Ecology of post-fire recovery in Pinus halepensis in Southern Italy. In: Trabaud L. (ed.), Life and Environment in Mediterranean Ecosystems. WIT Press, Southampton, pp. 129–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lepart J. and Debussche M. 1991. Invasion processes as related to succession and disturbance. In: Groves R.H. and Di Castri F. (eds), Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 159–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin S.A. 1992. The problem of pattern and scale in ecology. Ecology 73: 1943–1967.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Sánchez J.J., Herranz J.M., Guerra J. and Trabaud L. 1996. Natural recolonization of Pinus halepensis Mill. and Pinus pinaster Aiton in burnt forests of the Sierra de Alcaraz-Segura mountain system (SE Spain). Ecologia Mediterranea 22: 17–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Sánchez J.J., Marín A., Herranz J.M., Ferrandis P. and De Las Heras J. 1995. Effects of high temperatures on germination of Pinus halepensis Mill. and P. pinaster Aiton subsp. pinaster seeds in southeast Spain. Vegetatio 116: 69–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moravec J. 1990. Regeneration of northwest African Pinus halepensis forests following fire. Vegetatio 87: 29–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R., Horn H.S., Chave J. and Levin S.A. 2002a. Mechanistic models for tree seed dispersal by wind in dense forests and open landscapes. In: Levey D.J., Silva W.R. and Galetti M. (eds), Seed Dispersal and Frugivory: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. CABI International, Oxfordshire, UK, pp. 69–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R., Katul G.G., Horn H.S., Thomas S.M., Oren R., Avissar R., Pacala S.W. and Levin S.A. 2002b. Mechanisms of long-distance dispersal of seeds by wind. Nature 418: 409–413.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R. and Muller-Landau H.C. 2000. Spatial patterns of seed dispersal, their determinants and consequences for recruitment. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15: 278–285.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Serotiny, seed dispersal and seed predation in Pinus halepensis. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 105–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R., Perry G., Cronin J.T., Strand A.E. and Cain M.L. 2003. Methods for estimating long-distance dispersal. Oikos 103: 261-273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R., Safriel U.N. and Noy-Meir I. 2001. Field validation and sensitivity analysis of a mechanistic model for tree seed dispersal by wind. Ecology 82: 374–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R., Safriel U.N., Noy-Meir I. and Schiller G. 1996. Samara’s aerodynamic properties in Pinus halepensis Mill., a colonizing tree species, remain constant despite considerable variation in morphology. In: Steinberger Y. (ed.), Preservation of our World in the Wake of Change. Israel Society for Ecology and Environmental Quality Sciences, Jerusalem, pp. 553–556.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R., Safriel U.N., Noy-Meir I. and Schiller G. 1999. Seed release without fire in Pinus halepensis, a Mediterranean serotinous wind-dispersed tree. Journal of Ecology 87: 659–669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R., Safriel U.N., Noy-Meir I. and Schiller G. 2000. Spatiotemporal variation in seed dispersal and recruitment near and far from Pinus halepensis trees. Ecology 81: 2156–2169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ne'eman G. 2000. The effects of burned pine trees on post-fire regeneration. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 303–320.

  • Ne'eman G., Goubitz S. and Nathan R. 2004. Reproductive traits of Pinus halepensis in the light of fire-a critical review. Plant Ecology, this issue.

  • Ne'eman G. and Izhaki I. 1998. Stability of pre-and post-fire spatial structure of pine trees in Aleppo pine forest. Ecography 21: 535–542.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ne'eman G., Lahav H. and Izhaki I. 1992. Spatial pattern of seedlings 1 year after fire in a Mediterranean pine forest. Oecologia 91: 365–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ne'eman G., Lahav H. and Izhaki I. 1995. Recovery of vegetation in a natural east Mediterranean pine forest on Mount Carmel, Israel as affected by management strategies. Forest Ecology and Management 75: 17–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds) 2000. Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands.

  • Noy-Meir A., Perevolotsky A., Kigel J. and Noy-Meir I. 2002. Germination of Pinus halepensis in natural habitats. In: Thanos C.A. (ed.), Conservation, Regeneration and Restoration of Mediterranean Pines and their Ecosystems (MedPine2), MAICh, Chania, Crete, Greece, p. 45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouborg N.J., Piquot Y. and Van Groenendael J.M. 1999. Population genetics, molecular markers and the study of dispersal in plants. Journal of Ecology 87: 551–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papio C. 1987. Regeneracio del pi blanc despres d’un incendi. Quaderns Ecologia Aplicada 10: 83–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quézel P. 2000. Taxonomy and biogeography of Mediterranean pines (Pinus halepensis and P. brutia). In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rejmánek M. and Richardson D.M. 1996. What attributes make some plant species more invasive? Ecology 77: 1655–1661.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson D.M. 2000. Mediterranean pines as invaders in the Southern Hemisphere. pp. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, 131–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saracino A., Pacella R., Leone V. and Borghetti M. 1997. Seed dispersal and changing seed characteristics in a Pinus halepensis Mill. forest after fire. Plant Ecology 130: 13–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schiller G., Ne'eman G. and Korol L. 1997. Post-fire vegetation dynamics in a native Pinus halepensis Mill. forest on Mt. Carmel, Israel. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 45: 297–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schupp E.W. 1995. Seed-seedling conflicts, habitat choice, and patterns of plant recruitment. American Journal of Botany 82: 399–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schupp E.W. and Fuentes M. 1995. Spatial patterns of seed dispersal and the unification of plant population ecology. Ecoscience 2: 267–275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silvertown J. and Antonovics J. (eds) 2001. Integrating Ecology and Evolution in a Spatial Context. Blackwell Science, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tapias R., Gil L., Fuentes-Utrilla P. and Pardos J.A. 2001. Canopy seed banks in Mediterranean pines of southeastern Spain: a comparison between Pinus halepensis Mill., P. pinaster Ait., P. nigra Arn. and P. pinea L. Journal of Ecology 89: 629–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thanos C.A. 1999. Fire effects on forest vegetation. In: Eftichidis G., Balabanis P. and Ghazi A. (eds) Wildlife Management, Proceedings of the Advanced study Course, Marathon, Greece, pp. 433–441.

  • Thanos C.A. 2000. Ecophysiology of seed germination in Pinus halepensis and P. brutia. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 13–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thanos C.A., Daskalakou E.N. and Nikolaidou S. 1996. Early post-fire regeneration of a Pinus halepensis forest on Mount Parnis, Greece. Journal of Vegetation Science 7: 273–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D. and Kareiva P. (eds) 1997. Spatial Ecology: the Role of Space in Population Dynamics and Interspecific Interactions. Princeton University Press, Princeton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trabaud L. 1988. Survie de jeunes plantules de pin d’Alep apparues après incendie. Studia Oecologia 5: 161–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trabaud L. 2000. Post-fire regeneration of Pinus halepensis Forests in theWestMediterranean. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 257–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trabaud L., Michels C. and Grosman J. 1985. Recovery of burnt Pinus halepensis Mill. forests. II. Pine reconstitution after wild-fire. Forest Ecology and Management 13: 167–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsitsoni T. 1997. Conditions determining natural regeneration after wildfires in the Pinus halepensis (Miller, 1768) forests of Kassandra Peninsula (North Greece). Forest Ecology and Management 92: 199–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verdu M. and Garciafayos P. 1996. Postdispersal seed predation in a Mediterranean patchy landscape. Acta Oecologica 17: 379–391.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whelan R.J. 1986. Seed dispersal in relation to fire. In: Murray D.R. (ed.), Seed Dispersal. Academic Press, Sydney, pp. 237–271.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel

    Ran Nathan

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Science Education, University of Haifa-Oranim, Tivon, 36006, Israel

    Gidi Ne'eman

Authors
  1. Ran Nathan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gidi Ne'eman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ran Nathan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nathan, R., Ne'eman, G. Spatiotemporal dynamics of recruitment in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Miller). Plant Ecology 171, 123–137 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029379.32705.0f

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029379.32705.0f

Search

Navigation