Biogeosciences Discuss., 9,16705-16751,2012 Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/9/16705/20 12/ (1::-~ doi:10.5194/bgd-9-16705-2012 ~ Discussions © Author(s) 2012. CC Attribution 3.0 License. This discussion paper isfhas been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG) Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. Timing of fire relative to seed development controls availability of non-serotinous aerial seed banks 1 2 2 3 4 S. T. Michaletz · , E. A. Johnson , W. E. Mell , and D. F. Greene 1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, BioSciences West, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA 2 Department of Biological Sciences and Biogeoscience Institute, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1 N4, Canada 3Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Lab, US Forest Service, 400 N. 34th St. Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98103, USA 4 Department of Geography, Planning & Environment, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve W., H 1255-26 Montreal, QC H3G 1MB, Canada Received: 17 September 2012 -Accepted: 27 October 2012 - Published: 22 November 2012 Correspondence to: S. T. Michaletz (
[email protected]) Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 16705 Abstract 0 ~· c (I) The existence of non-serotinous, non-sprouting species in fire regimes where serotiny !Q. 0 confers ~n adaptive advantage is puzzling, particularly when these species recruit ::J poorly from soil seed banks or from burn edges. In this paper, white spruce (Picea ";;? 5 glauca (Moench) Voss) was used to show that the timing of fire relative to seed develop ~ ment can control aerial seed bank availability for non-serotinous species.