DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF POSTFIRE REGENERATION IN PORTUGUESE MEDITERRANEAN MAQUIS

After a wildfire in September, 1991, post-fire regeneration of Serra d a Arrabida maquis was studied and compared to an adjacent 30-yr-old un burned site. Two years after fire, cover and aboveground biomass was h alf of the amount found in unburned stands. This rapid recovery was ma inly due to resprouting species: Q. coccifera was dominant during all stages of regeneration. Herbaceous species were abundant during the fi rst two years after fire but became scarce in the older communities. O bligate seeders showed different patterns of recovery: Cistus species established many seedlings immediately after fire, but were less abund ant in older stands; Rosmarinus officinalis attained high dominance in unburned sites but seedling recruitment was delayed, yet continuous d uring post-fire succession. This difference between two genera with th e same obligate seeding strategy suggests that life history responses to environmental factors may affect or shape species distribution duri ng post-fire regeneration.