Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forest
Wildfires are critical to the ecological dynamics of communities in temperate forests. However, their frequency and severity have increased significantly in recent decades due to human activities, negatively affecting flora, fauna, and ecosystem processes. Among the primary interactions for the natu...
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Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF)
2025-06-01
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| Series: | iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry |
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| Online Access: | https://iforest.sisef.org/contents/?id=ifor4741-018 |
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| author | Cadena-Zamudio DA Cadena-Iñiguez J Aguirre-Medina JF Cadena-Zamudio JD Arispe-Vázquez JL Barrera-Guzmán LA Ayvar-Serna S Díaz-Nájera JF |
| author_facet | Cadena-Zamudio DA Cadena-Iñiguez J Aguirre-Medina JF Cadena-Zamudio JD Arispe-Vázquez JL Barrera-Guzmán LA Ayvar-Serna S Díaz-Nájera JF |
| author_sort | Cadena-Zamudio DA |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wildfires are critical to the ecological dynamics of communities in temperate forests. However, their frequency and severity have increased significantly in recent decades due to human activities, negatively affecting flora, fauna, and ecosystem processes. Among the primary interactions for the natural regeneration of forests is seed removal, which promotes secondary seed dispersal and predation. This study evaluated artificial seed removal under different wildfire severities in a pine forest on the eastern edge of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. An experiment of differential exclusion of vertebrates and invertebrates was carried out, considering two treatments: totally exposed seeds and seeds with exclusion of vertebrates in the unburnt forest, moderate and high severity fire. Our results showed a higher seed removal by vertebrates (birds and rodents) in the wildfire moderate severity treatment and in the time elapsed since wildfire occurrence; however, excluding vertebrates decreased the seed removal rate after the fire. Therefore, moderate-severity sites are an important factor in the communities of granivores that influence seed removal patterns in the temperate forest of Veracruz, Mexico. The findings underscore the importance of considering fire severity gradients in forest management strategies, particularly in fire-adapted ecosystems. As climate change alters fire regimes worldwide, understanding how different fire severities affect ecological interactions such as granivory is essential for promoting forest resilience and biodiversity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d2af948325bf4b1fbb83b0aa1332aa5c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1971-7458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry |
| spelling | doaj-art-d2af948325bf4b1fbb83b0aa1332aa5c2025-08-20T03:08:28ZengItalian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF)iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry1971-74582025-06-0118112112710.3832/ifor4741-0184741Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forestCadena-Zamudio DA0Cadena-Iñiguez J1Aguirre-Medina JF2Cadena-Zamudio JD3Arispe-Vázquez JL4Barrera-Guzmán LA5Ayvar-Serna S6Díaz-Nájera JF7Department of Forest Ecology, Interdisciplinary Research Group at Sechium edule in México (GISeM), Agustín Melgar 10, Texcoco, 56160, México - MexicoDepartment of Botany, Colegio de Postgraduados, Iturbide 73, 78622, San Luis Potosí - MexicoDepartment of Plant Phisiology, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Entronque Carretera Costera y Pueblo de Huehuetán, 30660, Chiapas - MexicoDepartment of Forestry Genetic Resources, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Boulevard de La Biodiversidad 400, 47600, Jalisco - MexicoDepartment of Forestry Management and Agroecology, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Carretera Iguala-Tuxpan, 40000, Guerrero - MexicoDepartment of Sustainable Ecosystems, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Carretera Federal Huatusco-Xalapa Km. 6.5, 94100, Veracruz - MexicoDepartment of Forestry Management, Colegio Superior Agropecuario del Estado de Guerrero, 40000, Guerrero - MexicoDepartment of Forestry Management, Colegio Superior Agropecuario del Estado de Guerrero, 40000, Guerrero - MexicoWildfires are critical to the ecological dynamics of communities in temperate forests. However, their frequency and severity have increased significantly in recent decades due to human activities, negatively affecting flora, fauna, and ecosystem processes. Among the primary interactions for the natural regeneration of forests is seed removal, which promotes secondary seed dispersal and predation. This study evaluated artificial seed removal under different wildfire severities in a pine forest on the eastern edge of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. An experiment of differential exclusion of vertebrates and invertebrates was carried out, considering two treatments: totally exposed seeds and seeds with exclusion of vertebrates in the unburnt forest, moderate and high severity fire. Our results showed a higher seed removal by vertebrates (birds and rodents) in the wildfire moderate severity treatment and in the time elapsed since wildfire occurrence; however, excluding vertebrates decreased the seed removal rate after the fire. Therefore, moderate-severity sites are an important factor in the communities of granivores that influence seed removal patterns in the temperate forest of Veracruz, Mexico. The findings underscore the importance of considering fire severity gradients in forest management strategies, particularly in fire-adapted ecosystems. As climate change alters fire regimes worldwide, understanding how different fire severities affect ecological interactions such as granivory is essential for promoting forest resilience and biodiversity.https://iforest.sisef.org/contents/?id=ifor4741-018Artificial SeedsExclusion ExperimentsGranivoresNatural RegenerationPine ForestsPredation |
| spellingShingle | Cadena-Zamudio DA Cadena-Iñiguez J Aguirre-Medina JF Cadena-Zamudio JD Arispe-Vázquez JL Barrera-Guzmán LA Ayvar-Serna S Díaz-Nájera JF Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forest iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry Artificial Seeds Exclusion Experiments Granivores Natural Regeneration Pine Forests Predation |
| title | Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forest |
| title_full | Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forest |
| title_fullStr | Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forest |
| title_short | Moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a Mexican pine forest |
| title_sort | moderate wildfire severity favors seed removal by granivores in a mexican pine forest |
| topic | Artificial Seeds Exclusion Experiments Granivores Natural Regeneration Pine Forests Predation |
| url | https://iforest.sisef.org/contents/?id=ifor4741-018 |
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