Allelopathic Mechanisms in Fire-Prone Ecosystems

Abstract

Understanding the fire-prone arid-zone pine species and maquis vegetation's response to fire is veryimportant to reveal the ecology and evolution of these species. During the succession of vegetation,there are complex relationships between allelopathic metabolites and fires. Many plant communitiessuch as pines, maquis, savannas and woodlands are known to play a critical role in the developmentof succession. However, studies revealing the relationship between succession processes andallelopathic mechanisms in fire-prone ecosystems are quite limited. Most evergreen maquisvegetations are one of the most studied fire ecosystems. In maquis vegetation, fire causes theformation of plant communities that continue with allelochemicals produced by plants, as well asshaping the climate of the region. The event of a living species inhibiting another species by secretingtoxic compounds is expressed as allelopathy. These toxic compounds are generally referred to asallelochemicals. Many maquis species that grow in fire-prone ecosystems excrete theirallelochemicals, preventing the development of herbaceous species around them and invade theirhabitats. These chemicals, which accumulate in the soil during the dry season, affect the successionprocesses in vegetation in the event of a fire and determine which species will follow each other.Considering these relationships, it can be said that allelopathic plants have the potential to changeplant diversity in vegetation by changing their functional plant characteristics. The purpose of thisreview is to determine the relationship between allelochemicals and fire of plant species in fire-proneecosystems, and to reveal how this affects the succession processes.