Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2008

Abstract

The interactions between post-fire plants is crucial directly after fire. A recent fire on Pepperdine campus allowed for a study to be performed on these interactions. The dominant chapparal plant, Malosma lauraina, laural sumac, both re-sprouts and grows from seeds after fire. Marah Macrocarpus, wild cucumber, grows rapidly after rain following a fire. Some M. lauraina seedlings end up under the M. Macrocarpus yet survive. This study aimed to find differences between those seedlings interacting with M. Macrocarpus and those that are not. Three groups of specimen were used. One control group grew in the sun, one control group in the shade of M. Macrocarpus, and one experimental group that began growing in the shade but was then exposed to sunlight when the wild cucumber was removed. The data showed that none of the groups had a significant difference in growth rate but did show a significant difference in height. The light levels varied across all groups except the experimental and control shade groups. Although there were significant differences in stomatal conductance between the experimental and control groups, there was no significant difference when conditions for the experimental was changed, nor was there a significant difference between the two control groups.

B213'08DataSledgeFryAlmodovar.xls (27 kB)
Data Set

B213'08DataSledgeFryAlmodovar.mp3 (4123 kB)
Class Presentation (audio)

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