Dr. Debbie Miller's Ongoing Research

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Fire Ecology in a Sandhill Landscape:

Month of Burn Impacts on Grass Flower Production

Benjamin Shepherd ~ M.S. Graduate Student ~ bshep@ufl.edu

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest are among the most diverse and threatened terrestrial communities in North America. Declines to longleaf communities are largely due to logging, terpentining, silviculture and fire suppression, which has resulted in a 98% reduction to the historical range of longleaf pine. Currently, remnant longleaf stands account for <2 million hectares of the original 36 million hectares existing in the southeastern United States prior to European colonization. To further exacerbate the longleaf decline, only ~360,000 hectares are maintained by frequent (1-10 yr), low-intensity fires which maintain the open, park-like structure characteristic to longleaf ecosystems. Without recurrent fire, longleaf communities are regular succeeded by xyrophytic oaks (Quercus spp.) and broad-leaved shrubs that shade understory species, including longleaf seedlings, and contribute to overall declines in species diversity.

Eglin Air Force Base (EAFB) is among the largest public land owners in the southeast U.S. and controls ~ 140,000 ha of longleaf pine community within its borders.  Among this area, nearly 100,000 ha of longleaf pine habitat have been degraded through previous land management practices. Prescribed burning has been the principal technique use to restore a majority of these habitats. Though a great deal of studies have been conducted on longleaf-wiregrass communities, research focused on other grasses associated with longleaf, including little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), splitbeard bluestem (S. ternarius) and pineywoods dropseed (Sporobolus junceus) is significantly lacking. Our research objectives are to: (1) determine the affects that season-of-fire has on percent flowering, flowering stem production and seed production of six dominant grass species of longleaf sandhills, and (2) conduct seed germination and viability tests. Included in the germination trials is a test of liquid-smoke, a widely used method for enhancing seed germination in the fire-prone habitats of the South African fynbos and grasslands of Australia, of which little-to-no information is available for native grasses of the southeastern U.S. Our hope is to determine the time when grass production is maximized following prescribed burning, thus increasing the possibility of genetic outcrossing and creating an understory that readily carries fire. Furthermore, we hope studying the affects of liquid-smoke application on seed may assist land managers in developing methods that contribute to successful establishment of native grasses.

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