Dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunes
Abstract Fire significantly contributes to the distribution, composition, and functioning of ecosystems. It is also among the most damaging disturbances, exacerbated by increasing fire intensity and extent due to climate change. However, some ecosystems, like Mediterranean scrublands, recover quickl...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04400-x |
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| author | Sergio Chozas André F. Mira Manuel Serrano Nagore G. Medina Joaquín Hortal María Cruz Díaz-Barradas |
| author_facet | Sergio Chozas André F. Mira Manuel Serrano Nagore G. Medina Joaquín Hortal María Cruz Díaz-Barradas |
| author_sort | Sergio Chozas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Fire significantly contributes to the distribution, composition, and functioning of ecosystems. It is also among the most damaging disturbances, exacerbated by increasing fire intensity and extent due to climate change. However, some ecosystems, like Mediterranean scrublands, recover quickly due to species’ adaptations to frequent fire regimes. This study investigates the community assembly processes during a secondary succession following the fire in a dune system within Doñana Natural Park, Southern Spain. To achieve this, three shrub communities were characterised along a coast-to-inland gradient over two consecutive years using a Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling ordination. Then, a set of ecophysiological and structural traits of the dominant shrub species were analysed through a Principal Component Analysis, and correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationships between the three communities and the studied traits. Finally, to investigate the spatial structure of the shrub communities, a co-occurrence network was constructed and Moran’s I analyses were conducted. The results revealed that natural secondary succession has restored shrub communities along the gradient to states similar to those existing before the fire, indicating a consistent recovery pattern. Although species composition was comparable across zones, community spatial structure and several traits varied from coastal to interior areas, with more complex co-occurrence networks observed inland. Overall, the results underline the significance of environmental filters and species interactions in shaping community assembly during secondary succession after fire. Furthermore, they highlight that post fire community responses can be predicted through mechanisms linking the regional species pool, regeneration traits, and physical heterogeneity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-439f7e998fdd4ba19d148076419eb97a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-439f7e998fdd4ba19d148076419eb97a2025-08-20T03:25:18ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-06-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-04400-xDynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunesSergio Chozas0André F. Mira1Manuel Serrano2Nagore G. Medina3Joaquín Hortal4María Cruz Díaz-Barradas5CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de LisboaDepartment of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)Departamento de Biología de la Conservación y Cambio Global, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD)Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de MadridCE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de LisboaDepartamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de SevillaAbstract Fire significantly contributes to the distribution, composition, and functioning of ecosystems. It is also among the most damaging disturbances, exacerbated by increasing fire intensity and extent due to climate change. However, some ecosystems, like Mediterranean scrublands, recover quickly due to species’ adaptations to frequent fire regimes. This study investigates the community assembly processes during a secondary succession following the fire in a dune system within Doñana Natural Park, Southern Spain. To achieve this, three shrub communities were characterised along a coast-to-inland gradient over two consecutive years using a Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling ordination. Then, a set of ecophysiological and structural traits of the dominant shrub species were analysed through a Principal Component Analysis, and correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationships between the three communities and the studied traits. Finally, to investigate the spatial structure of the shrub communities, a co-occurrence network was constructed and Moran’s I analyses were conducted. The results revealed that natural secondary succession has restored shrub communities along the gradient to states similar to those existing before the fire, indicating a consistent recovery pattern. Although species composition was comparable across zones, community spatial structure and several traits varied from coastal to interior areas, with more complex co-occurrence networks observed inland. Overall, the results underline the significance of environmental filters and species interactions in shaping community assembly during secondary succession after fire. Furthermore, they highlight that post fire community responses can be predicted through mechanisms linking the regional species pool, regeneration traits, and physical heterogeneity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04400-xFiltering processesMediterranean scrubModularityPlant traitsSecondary successionSpecies co-occurrence |
| spellingShingle | Sergio Chozas André F. Mira Manuel Serrano Nagore G. Medina Joaquín Hortal María Cruz Díaz-Barradas Dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunes Scientific Reports Filtering processes Mediterranean scrub Modularity Plant traits Secondary succession Species co-occurrence |
| title | Dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunes |
| title_full | Dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunes |
| title_fullStr | Dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunes |
| title_short | Dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in Doñana coastal dunes |
| title_sort | dynamics of post fire plant community assembly in donana coastal dunes |
| topic | Filtering processes Mediterranean scrub Modularity Plant traits Secondary succession Species co-occurrence |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04400-x |
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