XVI International Botanical Congess

We exposed dry seeds of 18 woody species (16 genera, 11 families) from the mediterranean vegetation of central Chile (where recurrent natural fire is lacking) to smoke derived from Quillaja saponaria/Lithrea caustica for 30 minutes and assessed germination for 71 days in these and controls. Five species failed to germinate under the experimental and control conditions. Smoke significantly stimulated germination in 3 species, while decreasing it in 8. There were no significant effects in 2 germinating species. Species showing smoke-inhibited germination tend to be major dominants in the Chilean matorral vegetation. The 3 smoke-stimulated species show colonizing ability.Research supported by Fondecyt Project 1980705 and an Endowed Presidential Science Chair (MTKA)