DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17623476
title: Data Set for "Fire shifts the structure and dynamics of woody plant communities in a Mediterranean coastal dune ecosystem"

description: Data Set for "Fire shifts the structure and dynamics of woody plant communities in a Mediterranean coastal dune ecosystem"

 

Abstract

1. Coastal dune ecosystems are fragile habitats where vegetation interacts with harsh abiotic conditions, making them highly vulnerable to climate-driven disturbances such as wildfire.

2. In 2017, a large fire in Doñana National Park (SW Spain) provided an opportunity to assess how fire affects woody plant community composition, structure, and interactions across a natural coast-to-inland gradient.

3. We compared a burned site (Cuesta Maneli) with an adjacent unburned site (Laguna del Jaral) by applying non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), Mantel tests, and analyses of co-occurrence and spatial aggregation.

4. Species composition in the unburned site was strongly linked to soil variables and showed clear spatial differentiation along the gradient, reflecting strong abiotic filtering and structured negative interactions.

5. In contrast, the burned site exhibited homogenized community composition across the gradient, with increased species abundance but no significant soil–composition relationship, suggesting that fire weakened environmental filters.

6. Species co-occurrence patterns also differed: neutral and positive associations dominated in the burned site, particularly at fine spatial scales, whereas negative associations and spatial clustering prevailed in the unburned site.

7. These results indicate that fire reduces competition, increases resource availability, and enhances facilitation during early succession, producing a more homogeneous and opportunistic community structure.

8. The findings highlight that post-fire community dynamics cannot be explained solely by deterministic filters but also by transient facilitative processes that shape successional pathways.

9. Synthesis. Fire disturbance reshapes Mediterranean coastal dune plant communities by weakening abiotic filtering, promoting facilitation, and homogenizing community composition across environmental gradients. This study shows that succession after fire is not only a recovery of pre-disturbance states but involves altered interaction networks that redefine community assembly. Recognizing these dynamics advances ecological understanding of disturbance-driven succession and provides a framework to guide conservation and restoration in fire-prone Mediterranean dune systems.

 

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Data information

 

Spatial information columns

-          Location: Code of the sampling site (CM - Cuesta Maneli and LdJ - Laguna del Jaral);

-          Transect: Identifier of the transect where the sample was taken;

-          Plot: Plot number within each transect;

-          Lat: Latitude of the plot;

-          Long: Longitude of the plot.

Community structure and cover columns

-          Spp_rich: Total woody plant species richness in the plot;

-          Woody_spp_rich: Woody species richness;

-          Cover:  Total woody vegetation cover;

-          Soil_H: Soil humidity.

Individual species abundance columns

-          Cistus_calycinum: Abundance of Cistus calycinum;

-          Cistus_salviifolius: Abundance of Cistus salviifolius;

-          Corema_album: Abundance of Corema álbum;

-          Stauracanthus_genistoides: Abundance of Stauracanthus genistoides;

-          Cistus_halimifolium: Abundance of Cistus halimifolium;

-          Salvia_Rosmarinus: Abundance of Salvia rosmarinus;

-          Cytisus_grandiflorus: Abundance of Cytisus grandiflorus;

-          Osyris_lanceolata: Abundance of Osyris lanceolata;

-          Lavandula: Abundance of Lavadula stoechas;

-          Daphne_Ceridium: Abundance of Daphne gnidium;

-          Pinus_pinea: Abundance of Pinus pinea;

-          Juniperus_phoenicea: Abundance of Juniperus phoenicea;

-          Thymus_mastichina: Abundance of Thymus mastichina;

-          Herbaceous: Abundance of herbaceous vegetation plants;

-          Acrocarpous_Moss: Abundance of acrocarpous mosses;

-          Pleurocarpous_Moss:  Abundance of pleurocarpous mosses;

-          Lichen: Abundance of lichens;

-          Fungi: Abundance of fungi.

Soil chemical elements columns

-          Al: Aluminium;

-          As: Arsenic;

-          B: Boron;

-          Ba: Barium;

-          Ca: Calcium;

-          Co: Cobalt;

-          Cr: Chromium;

-          Cu: Copper;

-          Fe: Iron;

-          K: Potassium;

-          Li: Lithium;

-          Mg: Magnesium;

-          Mn: Manganese;

-          Na: Sodium;

-          Ni: Nickel;

-          P: Phosphorus;

-          Pb: Lead;

-          S: Sulfur;

-          Sr: Strontium;

-          V: Vanadium;

-          Zn: Zinc.

 

Soil properties columns

-          fine_sand_perc: Percentage of fine sand;

-          thick_sand_perc: Percentage of coarse sand;

-          silt_perc: Percentage of silt;

-          clay_perc: Percentage of clay;

-          pH: Soil pH;

-          CE: Electrical conductivity;

-          carbonates_perc: Carbonate content (%);

-          organic_C_perc: Organic carbon (%);

-          organic_matter_perc: Total organic matter (%);

-          N_Kjeldahl_perc: Total nitrogen (%) (Kjeldahl method);

-          N-Nitrate: Available nitrate nitrogen (mg/kg);

-          N-amonia: Available ammonium nitrogen (mg/kg);

-          P-Olsen: Available phosphorus (mg/kg);

-          K_available: Available potassium (mg/kg);

-          Ca_available: Available calcium (mg/kg);

-          Mg_available: Available magnesium (mg/kg);

-          ClC: Cation exchange capacity;

-          Fr_available: Available iron;

-          Co_available: Available cobalt;

-          Mn_available: Available manganese;

-          Z_available: Available zinc.