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Montane Valley Grassland Plant Communities Are Highly Resistant To Wildfire, Martina M. Suazo

Biology ETDs

Understanding the ecological role of fire in fire-adapted plant communities is of great importance for restoration and preservation; however, limited research has been conducted on the response of upper elevation, C₃ grassland plant communities to wildfire. This study investigates the effects of the Las Conchas wildfire of 2011 on plant community structure and function in the montane valley grasslands of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA. Long term monitoring of nine burned and seven unburned grassland sites was used to measure vegetation composition and dynamics both spatially and temporally relative to fire. Results show that …