How fire affects the germination of heather seeds? Case from a Central European heathland

Fire-related cues can influence seed germination and post-fire regeneration in heathlands. Their effects on the key heathland species Calluna vulgaris have been studied mainly in North-Western Europe in habitats with long-term fire history and are poorly investigated in Central European heathlands, where fire history is typically shorter, with less frequent and less intensive fires. We investigated the germination response of Calluna seeds from a continental heathland with only ∼100 years of documented fire history, located in the former military training area Brdy (Czech Republic), and compared it with the response of seeds from traditional coastal heathland on the island of Lygra (Norway). In two germination experiments, seeds were exposed to different fire cues (smoke, heat) and substrates (litter, partially burnt litter). Seeds from Brdy responded similarly to seeds from Lygra, with germination stimulated by smoke, heat tolerance and possibly heat and ash stimulation. These results suggest that capacity for the response to fire-related cues is an intrinsic trait in Calluna. They further highlight the role of fire in recovery and dynamics of heathlands with a relatively short fire history, supporting prescribed burning as a suitable management tool in such systems.