IMBIV   05474
INSTITUTO MULTIDISCIPLINARIO DE BIOLOGIA VEGETAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Device for the standard measurement of shoot
Autor/es:
JAUREGUIBERRY, P.; BERTONE, G.; DÍAZ, S.
Revista:
AUSTRAL ECOLOGY
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Año: 2010
ISSN:
1442-9985
Resumen:
Abstract Fire ecology has been hindered by the lack of comparable, affordable protocols to quantify the
flammability of whole plants over large numbers of species.We describe a low-tech device that can be carried to the
field and that allows highly standardized measurement of the flammability of whole individuals or portions up to
70 cm long.We illustrate its potential with results for 34 species belonging to different growth forms from central
Argentina. The device consists of an 85 ¥ 60 cm half-cut metallic barrel placed horizontally and mounted on a
removable metallic structure. It contains three parallel burners, a grill with an attached gauging thermometer and
a blowtorch. Burners and blowtorch are connected to a propanebutane gas cylinder. Plant samples are placed on
the grill and preheated with the burners for 2 min at 150°C.They are then ignited for 10 s with the blowtorch while
the burners are kept on. Four parameters are measured for each sample: maximum temperature reached, burning
time, burnt length and burnt biomass percentage. These parameters are used to construct a compound index of
flammability for each sample that ranges between 0 (no flammability) and around 3 (maximum flammability).We
obtained a wide range of values for flammability and all its components. Most of this variability was accounted for
by differences between growth forms and species, rather than by differences at the level of replicates.This suggests
that the device and protocol are sensitive enough to detect flammability differences among plants with different
functional traits, and at the same time robust enough to produce consistent results among samples with similar
traits. A major advantage is that plant architecture is kept almost intact, providing a flammability measure much
closer to that of whole individuals in the field than those obtained by other standard protocols in use. The device
and protocol presented here should facilitate the acquisition of comparable flammability data over large numbers
of species from different floras and ecosystems, potentially contributing to several fields of research, such as
functional ecology, evolutionary ecology and vegetation-atmosphere modelling.
removable metallic structure. It contains three parallel burners, a grill with an attached gauging thermometer and
a blowtorch. Burners and blowtorch are connected to a propanebutane gas cylinder. Plant samples are placed on
the grill and preheated with the burners for 2 min at 150°C.They are then ignited for 10 s with the blowtorch while
the burners are kept on. Four parameters are measured for each sample: maximum temperature reached, burning
time, burnt length and burnt biomass percentage. These parameters are used to construct a compound index of
flammability for each sample that ranges between 0 (no flammability) and around 3 (maximum flammability).We
obtained a wide range of values for flammability and all its components. Most of this variability was accounted for
by differences between growth forms and species, rather than by differences at the level of replicates.This suggests
that the device and protocol are sensitive enough to detect flammability differences among plants with different
functional traits, and at the same time robust enough to produce consistent results among samples with similar
traits. A major advantage is that plant architecture is kept almost intact, providing a flammability measure much
closer to that of whole individuals in the field than those obtained by other standard protocols in use. The device
and protocol presented here should facilitate the acquisition of comparable flammability data over large numbers
of species from different floras and ecosystems, potentially contributing to several fields of research, such as
functional ecology, evolutionary ecology and vegetation-atmosphere modelling.
flammability of whole plants over large numbers of species.We describe a low-tech device that can be carried to the
field and that allows highly standardized measurement of the flammability of whole individuals or portions up to
70 cm long.We illustrate its potential with results for 34 species belonging to different growth forms from central
Argentina. The device consists of an 85 ¥ 60 cm half-cut metallic barrel placed horizontally and mounted on a
removable metallic structure. It contains three parallel burners, a grill with an attached gauging thermometer and
a blowtorch. Burners and blowtorch are connected to a propanebutane gas cylinder. Plant samples are placed on
the grill and preheated with the burners for 2 min at 150°C.They are then ignited for 10 s with the blowtorch while
the burners are kept on. Four parameters are measured for each sample: maximum temperature reached, burning
time, burnt length and burnt biomass percentage. These parameters are used to construct a compound index of
flammability for each sample that ranges between 0 (no flammability) and around 3 (maximum flammability).We
obtained a wide range of values for flammability and all its components. Most of this variability was accounted for
by differences between growth forms and species, rather than by differences at the level of replicates.This suggests
that the device and protocol are sensitive enough to detect flammability differences among plants with different
functional traits, and at the same time robust enough to produce consistent results among samples with similar
traits. A major advantage is that plant architecture is kept almost intact, providing a flammability measure much
closer to that of whole individuals in the field than those obtained by other standard protocols in use. The device
and protocol presented here should facilitate the acquisition of comparable flammability data over large numbers
of species from different floras and ecosystems, potentially contributing to several fields of research, such as
functional ecology, evolutionary ecology and vegetation-atmosphere modelling.
removable metallic structure. It contains three parallel burners, a grill with an attached gauging thermometer and
a blowtorch. Burners and blowtorch are connected to a propanebutane gas cylinder. Plant samples are placed on
the grill and preheated with the burners for 2 min at 150°C.They are then ignited for 10 s with the blowtorch while
the burners are kept on. Four parameters are measured for each sample: maximum temperature reached, burning
time, burnt length and burnt biomass percentage. These parameters are used to construct a compound index of
flammability for each sample that ranges between 0 (no flammability) and around 3 (maximum flammability).We
obtained a wide range of values for flammability and all its components. Most of this variability was accounted for
by differences between growth forms and species, rather than by differences at the level of replicates.This suggests
that the device and protocol are sensitive enough to detect flammability differences among plants with different
functional traits, and at the same time robust enough to produce consistent results among samples with similar
traits. A major advantage is that plant architecture is kept almost intact, providing a flammability measure much
closer to that of whole individuals in the field than those obtained by other standard protocols in use. The device
and protocol presented here should facilitate the acquisition of comparable flammability data over large numbers
of species from different floras and ecosystems, potentially contributing to several fields of research, such as
functional ecology, evolutionary ecology and vegetation-atmosphere modelling.
Fire ecology has been hindered by the lack of comparable, affordable protocols to quantify the
flammability of whole plants over large numbers of species.We describe a low-tech device that can be carried to the
field and that allows highly standardized measurement of the flammability of whole individuals or portions up to
70 cm long.We illustrate its potential with results for 34 species belonging to different growth forms from central
Argentina. The device consists of an 85 ¥ 60 cm half-cut metallic barrel placed horizontally and mounted on a
removable metallic structure. It contains three parallel burners, a grill with an attached gauging thermometer and
a blowtorch. Burners and blowtorch are connected to a propanebutane gas cylinder. Plant samples are placed on
the grill and preheated with the burners for 2 min at 150°C.They are then ignited for 10 s with the blowtorch while
the burners are kept on. Four parameters are measured for each sample: maximum temperature reached, burning
time, burnt length and burnt biomass percentage. These parameters are used to construct a compound index of
flammability for each sample that ranges between 0 (no flammability) and around 3 (maximum flammability).We
obtained a wide range of values for flammability and all its components. Most of this variability was accounted for
by differences between growth forms and species, rather than by differences at the level of replicates.This suggests
that the device and protocol are sensitive enough to detect flammability differences among plants with different
functional traits, and at the same time robust enough to produce consistent results among samples with similar
traits. A major advantage is that plant architecture is kept almost intact, providing a flammability measure much
closer to that of whole individuals in the field than those obtained by other standard protocols in use. The device
and protocol presented here should facilitate the acquisition of comparable flammability data over large numbers
of species from different floras and ecosystems, potentially contributing to several fields of research, such as
functional ecology, evolutionary ecology and vegetation-atmosphere modelling.
removable metallic structure. It contains three parallel burners, a grill with an attached gauging thermometer and
a blowtorch. Burners and blowtorch are connected to a propanebutane gas cylinder. Plant samples are placed on
the grill and preheated with the burners for 2 min at 150°C.They are then ignited for 10 s with the blowtorch while
the burners are kept on. Four parameters are measured for each sample: maximum temperature reached, burning
time, burnt length and burnt biomass percentage. These parameters are used to construct a compound index of
flammability for each sample that ranges between 0 (no flammability) and around 3 (maximum flammability).We
obtained a wide range of values for flammability and all its components. Most of this variability was accounted for
by differences between growth forms and species, rather than by differences at the level of replicates.This suggests
that the device and protocol are sensitive enough to detect flammability differences among plants with different
functional traits, and at the same time robust enough to produce consistent results among samples with similar
traits. A major advantage is that plant architecture is kept almost intact, providing a flammability measure much
closer to that of whole individuals in the field than those obtained by other standard protocols in use. The device
and protocol presented here should facilitate the acquisition of comparable flammability data over large numbers
of species from different floras and ecosystems, potentially contributing to several fields of research, such as
functional ecology, evolutionary ecology and vegetation-atmosphere modelling.
¥ 60 cm half-cut metallic barrel placed horizontally and mounted on a
removable metallic structure. It contains three parallel burners, a grill with an attached gauging thermometer and
a blowtorch. Burners and blowtorch are connected to a propanebutane gas cylinder. Plant samples are placed on
the grill and preheated with the burners for 2 min at 150°C.They are then ignited for 10 s with the blowtorch while
the burners are kept on. Four parameters are measured for each sample: maximum temperature reached, burning
time, burnt length and burnt biomass percentage. These parameters are used to construct a compound index of
flammability for each sample that ranges between 0 (no flammability) and around 3 (maximum flammability).We
obtained a wide range of values for flammability and all its components. Most of this variability was accounted for
by differences between growth forms and species, rather than by differences at the level of replicates.This suggests
that the device and protocol are sensitive enough to detect flammability differences among plants with different
functional traits, and at the same time robust enough to produce consistent results among samples with similar
traits. A major advantage is that plant architecture is kept almost intact, providing a flammability measure much
closer to that of whole individuals in the field than those obtained by other standard protocols in use. The device
and protocol presented here should facilitate the acquisition of comparable flammability data over large numbers
of species from different floras and ecosystems, potentially contributing to several fields of research, such as
functional ecology, evolutionary ecology and vegetation-atmosphere modelling.