This is the post-peer reviewed version of the following article: Fire after a mast year triggers mass recruitment of slender mulga (Acacia aptaneura), a desert shrub with heat-stimulated germination Wright, B. R. & Fensham, R. J. (2017). Fire after a mast year triggers mass recruitment of slender mulga (Acacia aptaneura), a desert shrub with heat- stimulated germination. American Journal of Botany, 104(10), 1474-1483 DOI of the final copy of this article: 10.3732/ajb.1700008 Downloaded from e-publications@UNE the institutional research repository of the University of New England at Armidale, NSW Australia. 1 Fire after a mast year triggers mass recruitment of slender mulga 2 (Acacia aptaneura), a desert shrub with heat-stimulated 3 germination 4 Boyd R. Wright2, 3, 4, Roderick J. Fensham5, 6 5 6 1Manuscript received 4 January 2017; revision accepted _______. 7 2Botany, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, 8 NSW 2350, Australia; 9 3School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, 10 Australia; 11 4The Northern Territory Herbarium, Department of Land Resource Management, Alice 12 Springs, NT 0871, Australia; 13 5School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072; 14 6Queensland Herbarium, Mt Coot-tha Rd, Toowong, Brisbane, QLD 4066; 15 Author for correspondence (e-mail:
[email protected]) 16 Running Head: ‘Burning after masting triggers mass recruitment in slender mulga (Acacia 17 aptaneura)’ 18 19 1 20 PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Fire typically triggers extensive regeneration of plants with 21 heat-stimulated germination by causing short periods of intense soil heating.