Fire in the Mediterranean Basin - Fire in Mediterranean Ecosystems - page 94

Table 4.2 Smoke-stimulated shrub seed germination for selected Mediterranean Basin species that
exhibit postfire recruitment

Percentage germination a

Family Species Control Smoke Significance ( P )

Ericaceae Erica multiflora 82 94 < 0.01

Ericaceae Erica terminalis 33 60 < 0.001

Ericaceae Erica umbellata 2 56 < 0.001

Lamiaceae Lavandula latifolia 29 59 < 0.001

Lamiaceae Lavandula stoechas 50 100 < 0.001

Lamiaceae Rosmarinus officinalis 26 40 < 0.05

Lamiaceae Thymus vulgaris 88 100 < 0.001

Primulaceae Coris monspeliensis 9 43 < 0.001

a Control conditions were seeds immersed in distilled water and smoke treatments were
seeds immersed in liquid smoke solution.
Source: From Moreira et al. ( 2010 ).

Kavgaci et al. 2010 ) than in the western part. This is likely tied to climate but
whether it is due to the eastern basin having a higher predictability of winter
rainfall or much more limited precipitation in other seasons (see Table B1.1.1 ) is
unknown. Annuals are also more abundant in acidic soils (Pausas et al. 1999 ). In
general, the importance of annuals in postfire dynamics in the Mediterranean
Basin seems to be lower than in some other MTC regions such as California (see
Table 5.2 ) . However, in the Mediterranean Basin, annuals are common colonizers
of abandoned agricultural fields, and in semi-arid areas in mixtures with perennial
grasses. Many Mediterranean Basin species that are invasive in other parts of the
world are winter annuals ( Bromus , Hordeum and Avena ). In contrast, in the
Mediterranean Basin, postfire exotic invasive plants are a less important factor
than in other MTC regions, at least currently (see Chapter 12 ).

Vegetation Patterns in Response to Climate, Geology and Land Use

Due to the size and geographical complexity of the region, the MTC area of the
basin ( Fig. 4.1 ) is often divided into different bioclimatic zones defined by tem-
perature and also related to elevation (Que´ zel & Me´ dail 2003 ). Each zone has the
potential to grow different vegetation types. The lowlands or thermo-mediterranean
zone are warm and dry, and closed forests are rare; broadleaf evergreen shrublands
(garrigue, maquis) are the dominant vegetation. In the low-elevation meso-
mediterranean zone, evergreen oak woodlands are the most significant type. In
the mid-elevation supra-mediterranean or sub-mediterranean zone, winter decidu-
ous or semi-deciduous woodlands are common, while at the high-elevation
mountain-mediterranean zone, coniferous forests are common. At the top of the
mountains the oro-mediterranean zone vegetation is sparse with some conifers