山西霍山不同功能型植物叶性特征的比较研究

选取山西霍山地区30种主要植物（乔木7种、灌木10种、草本植物13种）,分别测定了其比叶面积（SLA）,单位重量叶氮含量（Nmass）及单位面积叶氮含量（Narea）,初步探讨了3种功能型植物的部分叶性特征,并进行了比较分析。结果表明：在霍山地区这个特定的环境下,草本植物的SLA最大,灌木次之,乔木最小;对于Nmass,同样是草本植物最高,灌木次之,乔木最低;而Narea乔木最高,灌木次之,草本最低,表现出在相同环境下,不同功能型植物的叶性特征的差异性。不同功能型植物的SLA与Nmass呈正相关关系,与Narea呈负相关关系,表现出在相同环境下,不同功能型植物叶性关系的相似性。     

Trait‐abundance relation in response to nutrient addition in a Tibetan alpine meadow: The importance of species trade‐off in resource conservation and acquisition

In competition‐dominated communities, traits promoting resource conservation and competitive ability are expected to have an important influence on species relative abundance (SRA). Yet, few studies have tested the trait‐abundance relations in the line of species trade‐off in resource conservation versus acquisition, indicating by multiple traits coordination. We measured SRA and key functional traits involving leaf economic spectrum (SLA, specific leaf area; LDMC, leaf dry matter content; LCC, leaf carbon concentration; LNC, leaf nitrogen concentration; LPC, leaf phosphorus concentration; Hs, mature height) for ten common species in all plots subjected to addition of nitrogen fertilizer (N), phosphorus fertilizer (P), or both of them (NP) in a Tibetan alpine meadow. We test whether SRA is positively related with traits promoting plant resource conservation, while negatively correlated with traits promoting plant growth and resource acquisition. We found that species were primarily differentiated along a trade‐off axis involving traits promoting nutrient acquisition and fast growth (e.g., LPC and SLA) versus traits promoting resource conservation and competition ability (e.g., large LDMC). We further found that SRA was positively correlated with plant height, LDMC, and LCC, but negatively associated with SLA and leaf nutrient concentration irrespective of fertilization. A stronger positive height‐SRA was found in NP‐fertilized plots than in other plots, while negative correlations between SRA and SLA and LPC were found in N or P fertilized plots. The results indicate that species trade‐off in nutrient acquisition and resource conservation was a key driver of SRA in competition‐dominated communities following fertilization, with the linkage between SRA and traits depending on plant competition for specific soil nutrient and/or light availability. The results highlight the importance of competitive exclusion in plant community assembly following fertilization and suggest that abundant species in local communities become dominated at expense of growth while infrequent species hold an advantage in fast growth and dispersals to neighbor meta‐communities.     

Incidence of leaf mining in different vegetation types across rainfall,canopy cover and latitudinal gradients

Abstract Leaf miners are insects whose larval stages live between layers of leaf epidermis, feeding on mesophyll and lower epidermis to create mine‐like cavities. Little is known about the ecology or distribution of leaf miners in Australia. We investigated the incidence of leaf miners in relation to aridity, vegetation types, host plant taxonomy, leaf traits, canopy cover and latitude. We surveyed leaf miners at 15 sites in NSW, eastern Australia, situated along a rainfall gradient from 300 to 1700 mm per annum and a latitudinal gradient of 28°S to 33°S, within four vegetation types (mallee, heath, woodland and rainforest). Leaf mining was recorded from 36 plant species, 89% of which had no previous record of mining. The proportion of mined plant species at each site varied, but there was no significant difference between vegetation types. Leaf mining presence was positively correlated with both total leaf length and leaf thickness. No significant correlations were found between the proportion of mined species at a site and rainfall, latitude or foliar projected cover. We conclude that leaf mining is a widespread type of insect herbivory whose distribution patterns are more likely to be influenced by biotic than abiotic factors.     

Stem diameter growth rates in a fire‐prone savanna correlate with photosynthetic rate and branch‐scale biomass allocation,but not specific leaf area

Plant growth rates strongly determine ecosystem productivity and are a central element of plant ecological strategies. For laboratory and glasshouse‐grown seedlings, specific leaf area (SLA; ratio of leaf area to mass) is a key driver of interspecific variation in growth rate (GR). Consequently, SLA is often assumed to drive GR variation in field‐grown adult plants. However, there is an increasing evidence that this is not the general case. This suggests that GR – SLA relationships (and perhaps those for other traits) may vary depending on the age or size of the plants being studied. Here we investigated GR – trait relationships and their size dependence among 17 woody species from an open‐canopy, fire‐prone savanna in northern Australia. We tested the predictions that SLA and stem diameter growth rate would be positively correlated in saplings but unrelated in adults while, in both age classes, faster‐GR species would have higher light‐saturated photosynthetic rate (A_sat), higher leaf nutrient concentrations, higher branch‐scale biomass allocation to leaf versus stem tissues and lower wood density (WD). SLA showed no relationship to stem diameter GR, even in saplings, and the same was true of leaf N and P concentrations, and WD. However, branch‐scale leaf:stem allocation was strongly related to GR in both age groups, as was A_sat. Together, these two traits accounted for up to 80% of interspecific variation in adult GR, and 41% of sapling GR. A_sat is rarely measured in field‐based GR studies, and this is the first report of branch‐scale leaf:stem allocation (analogous to a benefit:cost ratio) in relation to plant growth rate. Our results suggest that we may yet find general trait‐drivers of field growth rates, but SLA will not be one.     

黄土高原不同退耕年限坡地植物比叶面积与养分含量的关系

对黄土高原不同退耕年限坡地植物比叶面积(SLA)和养分含量进行研究,探明其随生境条件而发生的变异及其与土壤理化特性之间的关系.结果表明,立地和物种水平植物SLA存在显著差异,SLA变化范围各不相同,植物叶片C、N和P含量以及C/N 、N/P和C/P在不同退耕年限坡地间不具有一致性的变化,这表明不同物种叶性因子随生境发生的变化较为复杂.草地植物叶片SLA和叶片C含量为负相关,与N、P含量呈极显著的正相关(P<0.01).土壤理化特性对叶片SLA和养分含量的关系因物种而异,综合所有植物进行分析,土壤理化特性与植物SLA的相关性不明显,但与叶片养分含量关系密切.所以,生境条件的差异可能是植物叶片结构特性和养分组成发生变化的重要原因,但调控植物叶性特征的因素较为复杂,不同的植物具有各自相应的对生境条件的适应机制.     

黄土高原子午岭不同森林群落叶功能性状

对黄土高原子午岭地区5种主要森林群落中重要值>0.1的物种叶功能性状进行了比较,结果表明:1)叶干物质含量(LDMC)与比叶面积(SLA)呈负相关;SLA与叶厚度(LT)呈负相关,但与叶氮含量(LNC)和叶磷含量(LPC)呈正相关;LT与LNC、LPC和叶钾含量(LKC)呈负相关;LNC、LPC和LKC三者之间均呈正相关。2)坡位是影响叶大小(LS)、LT、LNC和LKC的主要地形因子,海拔对LPC和SLA的影响最大,而坡向则是影响LDMC的主要因子。因此,叶功能性状之间所呈现的特征及其对立地条件的适应都表现出了植物的生态策略。3)各群落间的乔木层叶功能性状均有显著差异,灌木层的叶功能性状无显著差异,而草本层除了LDMC无显著差异(P>0.05)外,其他叶功能性状均有显著差异,说明群落的叶功能性状的大小取决于群落内物种的叶功能性状及其重要值。     

Scale‐dependent trait correlations in a temperate tree community

Recent investigations of relationships among plant traits have generated important insights into plant form and function. However, relationships involving leaf area, leaf shape and plant height remain poorly resolved. Previous work has also focused on correlations between average trait values for individual species. It is unclear whether similar relationships occur within species. We searched for novel plant trait correlations by comparing leaf area, leaf circularity, specific leaf area (SLA) and plant height among 16 common woody plant species from a temperate forest in New Zealand. Analyses were conducted both within species (intra‐specifically) and among species (inter‐specifically) to determine whether trait correlations were scale dependent. Leaf area was unrelated to other leaf traits inter‐specifically. However, leaf area declined with plant height and increased with SLA intra‐specifically. Leaf circularity decreased with plant height inter‐specifically, but increased with plant height intra‐specifically. SLA increased with plant height both inter‐ and intra‐specifically. Leaf circularity increased with SLA inter‐specifically, but decreased with SLA intra‐specifically. Overall results showed that leaf shape, SLA and plant height are interrelated. However, intra‐specific relationships often differed substantially from inter‐specific relationships, suggesting that the processes shaping relationships between this suite of plant traits are scale‐dependent.     

松嫩草地66种草本植物叶片性状特征

植物叶片功能性状及其相互关系越来越受到关注.以松嫩草地66种草本植物为研究对象,测量叶片干物质含量、比叶面积、叶片厚度、叶片氮含量、叶片磷含量、叶绿素含量和类胡萝卜素含量,检验性状间的相互关系,比较不同功能群(多年生根茎禾草,多年生丛生禾草,多年生杂类草,1年生或2年生草本)间性状的差异性.结果表明,叶片厚度变异系数最大,比叶面积、叶片氮含量、叶片磷含量、叶绿素含量和类胡萝卜素含量之间存在显著的正相关关系;叶片于物质含量与叶片磷含量没有显著的相关关系,与其它叶片性状呈显著的负相关关系;叶片厚度只与叶片干物质含量和比叶面积呈显著的负相关关系,与其它叶片性状不相关.叶片干物质含量、比叶面积、叶片厚度、叶片氮、磷含量在4个功能群间差异显著,叶绿素含量和类胡萝卜素含量在各个功能群间差异不显著;多年生根茎禾草和多年生丛生禾草叶片的7个性状差异不显著;多年生根茎禾草和多年生丛生禾草的叶片干物质含量高于多年生杂类草和1年生或2年生草本,其它性状小于这两个功能群.     

黄土丘陵区植物叶片与细根功能性状关系及其变化

通过植物叶片功能性状(比叶面积、叶组织密度、叶氮含量)和细根功能性状(比根长、根组织密度、根氮含量)间的相互关系,分析植物对环境的适应途径;然后根据性状间的差异进行了层次聚类,将物种划分为3大功能型,并分析了不同功能型对环境的适应策略.结果表明:黄土丘陵区延河流域149种植物的叶氮含量与比叶面积和根氮含量正相关、与叶组织密度负相关,比根长与根组织密度负相关,除了根氮含量,其余根性状与叶性状不相关.此外,功能性状间关系变化和适应策略在不同功能型之间也存在差异.功能型1的植物具有最强的耐旱力和防御力;功能型3的植物具有最强的养分维持能力用以对抗营养贫瘠的环境;功能型2的植物居中,生长速率最高,具有较强的竞争力、分布最广;根据C-S-R理论,功能型1和3属于“胁迫忍耐型”策略(S策略),功能型2则属于“竞争型”(C)和“干扰型”(R)策略的综合.研究结果为黄土丘陵区植被恢复规划及物种配置等提供依据.     

Effects of phylogeny,leaf traits,and the altitudinal distribution of host plants on herbivore assemblages on congeneric Acer species

Historical, niche-based, and stochastic processes have been proposed as the mechanisms that drive community assembly. In plant–herbivore systems, these processes can correspond to phylogeny, leaf traits, and the distribution of host plants, respectively. Although patterns of herbivore assemblages among plant species have been repeatedly examined, the effects of these factors among co-occurring congeneric host plant species have rarely been studied. Our aim was to reveal the process of community assembly for herbivores by investigating the effects of phylogeny, leaf traits, and the altitudinal distribution of closely related host plants of the genus Acer. We sampled leaf functional traits for 30 Acer species in Japan. Using a newly constructed phylogeny, we determined that three of the six measured leaf traits (leaf thickness, C/N ratio, and condensed tannin content) showed a phylogenetic signal. In a field study, we sampled herbivore communities on 14 Acer species within an elevation gradient and examined relationships between herbivore assemblages and host plants. We found that herbivore assemblages were significantly correlated with phylogeny, leaf traits, phylogenetic signals, and the altitudinal distribution of host plants. Our results indicate that the interaction between historical and current ecological processes shapes herbivore community assemblages.     

海南岛热带山地雨林演替后期幼树的叶片特征

植物的生理生态特征决定了植物在生态系统中的分布模式和物种的丰度。本文在开展样地调查的基础上,应用Li-6400光合测定系统研究了海南岛热带山地雨林原始林3个层次的6个优势种与9个伴生种幼树的光合作用参数,并测定了相应叶片的比叶面积（SLA）和氮、磷含量。15个种的SLA为38.2~143.7 cm²·g^-1、单位面积最大光合速率（A_-area）为2.77~7.61 μmol·m^-2·s^-1、单位干重最大光合速率（A_-mass）为21.2~83.4 μmol·kg^-1·s^-1,单位面积暗呼吸速率（R_d-area）为0.02~1.15 μmol·m^-2·s^-1、单位干重暗呼吸速率（R_d-mass）为0.19~12.61 μmol·kg^-1·s^-1,光补偿点（LCP）为2.5~32.2 μmol·m^-2·s^-1,表观量子效率（Ф）为0.006 6~0.042 8 μmol·μmol^-1 photon,叶片氮（LN）含量为7.98~23.63 mg·g^-1,叶片磷（LP）含量为3.98~13.40 mg·g^-1。中上层种的幼树具有较高的比叶面积、单位干重最大光合速率和表观量子效率;上层种的暗呼吸速率最低;幼树叶片的氮、磷含量随物种成树所在层次升高而减少,次序为下层种>中层种>上层种,但差异均不显著（P>0.05）。优势种和伴生种的光响应参数与SLA存在相关关系。伴生种的LN与SLA正相关（P<0.01）,LP与SLA负相关（P<0.05）;优势种的LN、LP与SLA不相关（P>0.05）。     

北京植物园不同功能型植物叶经济谱

通过对北京植物园不同功能型植物的叶片光合参数、叶绿素荧光参数、叶面积、叶干质量以及叶氮含量等性状参数进行测定,分析了不同功能型植物的叶经济谱.结果表明: 生活型中草本植物、生活史中一年生植物、光合型中C4植物靠近叶经济谱中快速投资-收益型物种的一端,而生活型中乔木和灌木、生活史中多年生植物、光合型中C3植物位于缓慢投资-收益型物种的一端,表明不同功能型植物通过叶片性状间的权衡采取不同的环境适应策略,验证了不同功能型植物叶经济谱的存在.不同功能型植物叶片性状具有明显差异,其中不同生活型间的叶片比叶面积(SLA)、叶氮含量(N_mass)、最大净光合速率(A_mass)、光合氮利用效率(PNUE)均表现出草本植物>藤本植物>灌木>乔木;不同生活史间一年生植物的SLA、N_mass、A_mass、PNUE均显著高于多年生植物;不同光合型间植物的A_mass、PNUE、PSⅡ实际光化学效率(Φ_PSⅡ)均表现出C4>C3.N_mass、A_mass、SLA两两之间呈显著正相关,而PSⅡ有效光化学量子产量(F_v′/F_m′)与SLA呈显著负相关;PNUE与SLA呈显著正相关.     

东灵山地区不同森林群落叶功能性状比较

植物功能性状(plant functional trait)是近年来生态学研究的热点.其中叶功能性状(leaf functional trait)与植株生物量和植物对资源的获得、利用及利用效率的关系最为密切.研究了东灵山地区叶功能性状之间的关系、叶功能性状与地形因子的关系,并对不同群落叶功能性状进行了比较.通过Pearson相关分析发现,叶干物质含量(LDMC)与比叶面积(SLA)、叶氮浓度(LNC)、叶磷浓度(LPC)、叶钾浓度(LKC)负相关;叶大小与叶厚度正相关;SLA与 LNC、LPC、LKC正相关;LNC与LPC、LKC正相关;LPC与LKC正相关.通过灰色关联度分析发现,对叶大小、LNC、LKC来讲,海拔是各项地形因子中的首要影响因子;对LDMC、叶厚度来讲,坡度对其影响最大;对SLA、LPC来讲,坡位是其首要影响因子.依据乔木层的SLA和LDMC将5种群落分成3类,第一类是黑桦林和山杨林,第二类是辽东栎林,第三类是胡桃楸林和糠椴林.群落的分类情况符合该地带性植被优势度类型的分类情况,LDMC和SLA是最能体现群落间差异的叶功能性状.     

Specific leaf area as a superior predictor of changes in field layer abundance during forest succession

Question : How accurately can a suite of suggested functional traits predict plant species response to succession from semi‐open woodland to closed deciduous canopy forest? Location : Southeastern Sweden. Methods : Abundance of 46 field‐layer plant species in a temperate deciduous forest, measured as frequency of occupied plots, was estimated in 1961, 1970 and 2003. Abundance change over time across species was tested for correlations with functional traits and literature information on habitat preference. Results : Increase in abundance was positively correlated with specific leaf area (SLA), weakly negatively correlated with seed mass and not significantly correlated with plant height or start, peak and length of the flowering period. Change in abundance was correlated with the Ellenberg light indicator value, whereas no correlations were found with Ellenberg values for nitrogen, calcium and moisture, or forest preference according to the literature. Conclusions : SLA was a better predictor of how field layer plants responded to succession from semi‐open woodland to closed canopy forest than empirically‐derived measures of habitat preference. The same holds for SLA in relation to seed size, indicating that interactions in the established life‐cycle phase are more important than the recruitment phase for species response to succession.     

Is N‐resorption efficiency related to secondary compounds and leaf longevity in coexisting plant species of the arid Patagonian Monte,Argentina?

Leaf longevity and nutrient resorption efficiency are important strategies to conserve plant nutrients. Theory suggests a negative relationship between them and also proposes that high concentration of phenolics in long‐lived leaves may reduce nutrient resorption. In order to provide new evidence on these relationships, we explored whether N‐resorption efficiency is related to leaf longevity, secondary compounds and other leaf traits in coexisting plant species of different life forms in the arid Patagonian Monte, Argentina. We assessed N‐resorption efficiency, green leaf traits (leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf longevity and lignin, total soluble phenolics and N concentrations) and N concentration in senescent leaves of 12 species of different life forms (evergreen shrubs, deciduous shrubs and perennial grasses) with contrasting leaf traits. We found that leaf longevity was positively correlated to LMA and lignin, and negatively correlated to N concentration in green leaves. N concentrations both in green and senescent leaves were positively related. N‐resorption efficiency was not associated with the concentration of secondary compounds (total soluble phenolics and lignin) but it was negatively related to LMA and leaf longevity and positively related to N concentration in green leaves. Furthermore, leaf traits overlapped among life forms highlighting that life forms are not a good indicator of the functional properties (at least in relation to nutrient conservation) of species. In conclusion, our findings indicated that differences in N‐resorption efficiency among coexisting species were more related to N concentration in green leaves, leaf lifespan and LMA than to the presence of secondary compounds at least those assessed in our study (soluble phenolics and lignin). Accordingly, N‐resorption efficiency seems to be modulated, at least in part, by the productivity–persistence trade‐off.     

延河流域植物功能性状变异来源分析

由于遗传背景对植物性状的影响,直接研究环境与植物性状的关系有一定的不确定性。因此,研究植物性状对环境变化的响应,必须明确遗传背景与环境对植物性状的相对影响,以排除遗传背景的作用。本研究以延河流域为研究区域,选取19个典型样点,调查了64种植物的6种功能性状,即比叶面积(SLA)、比根长(SRL)、叶片氮(LN)与磷含量(LP)、根的氮(RN)与磷含量(RP),并通过野外定位信息,从已有专题信息图中获取环境数据,采用方差分析和逐步回归的方法,分析了植物性状变异来源,研究了不同科属植物对环境变化的响应。结果表明：(1)不同气候条件下,植物的SLA、LN和RP性状存在显著差异,森林区植物SLA、RP较草原区植物偏低33.02%、19.94%,而LN则高于草原区植物19.33%;不同科属植物之间SLA、SRL、LN和RN存在显著差异,豆科植物具有较高的SLA、LN、RN,分别高出研究区平均值16.33%、65.23%、97.78%,而禾本科植物SRL具有最大值,高出平均值103.11%;(2)遗传背景差异是植物性状变异的首要决定因子,遗传背景对SRL、LN、RN变异的解释比例分别达到了27.86%、32.78%、42.70%,而LP、RP则受环境因子的影响更大,环境因子对LP、RP解释比例分别达到24%、15.58%;(3)豆科Leguminosae、禾本科Poaceae、菊科Asteraceae、蔷薇科Rosaceae植物性状的环境因子逐步线性回归模型,表明不同科属的植物对环境因子是否产生响应和响应的方式均不相同,豆科和禾本科植物对区域性气候条件较为敏感,而菊科和蔷薇科植物受地形因子和土壤含水量影响较大。     

Host phylogeny and nutrient content drive galler diversity and abundance on willows

1. Different groups of specialised herbivores often exhibit highly variable responses to host plant traits and phylogeny. Gall‐forming insects and mites on willows are highly adapted to their hosts and represent one of the richest communities of gallers associated with a single genus of host plants. 2. The present study evaluated the effects of host plant secondary metabolites (salicylates, flavonoids, condensed tannins), physical traits (trichome density), nutrient content (N:C) and phylogeny on the abundance and richness of gall‐forming arthropods associated with eight willow species and Populus tremula. 3. Galler abundance was affected by N:C rather than by willow defensive traits or phylogeny, suggesting that gallers respond differently to host plant traits than to less specialised guilds, such as leaf‐chewing insects. None of the studied defensive traits had a significant effect on gall abundance. Gall morphospecies richness was correlated with the host phylogeny, mainly with the nodes representing the inner division of the willow subgenus Vetrix. This suggests that the radiation of some willow taxa could have been important for the speciation of gallers associated with willows. 4. In conclusion, it is shown that whereas willow traits, such as nutrient content, appeared to affect abundances of gallers, it is probably willow radiation that drives galler speciation.     

Light and nitrogen competition limit Lolium perenne in experimental grasslands of increasing plant diversity

Positive species richness effects on aboveground community productivity in experimental grasslands have been reported to correlate with variable responses of individual species. So far, it is largely unknown whether more complete use of resources at the community level correlates with resource limitation of particular species and may explain their decreasing performance with increasing plant diversity. Using the subordinate grass species Lolium perenne L. as a model, we monitored populations in 82 experimental grasslands of different plant diversity (Jena Experiment) from year 2 to 6 after establishment, and measured ecophysiological leaf traits related to light and nutrient acquisition and use. Population and plant individual sizes of L. perenne decreased with increasing species richness. A decrease in transmitted light with increasing species richness and legume proportion correlated with increasing specific leaf area (SLA). Despite this morphological adaptation to lower light availability, decreasing foliar δ(13) C signatures with increasing species richness and low variation in leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll concentrations suggested a low capacity of L. perenne for adjustment to canopy shade. Leaf nitrogen concentrations and foliar δ(15) N signatures indicated a better N supply in communities with legumes and a shift in the uptake of different N forms with increasing species richness. Leaf blade nitrate and carbohydrate concentrations as indicators of plants nutritional status supported that light limitation with increasing species richness and legume proportions, combined with a N limitation in communities with increasing proportions of non-legumes, correlated with the decreasing performance of L. perenne in communities of increasing plant diversity.     

Host identity and phylogeny shape the foliar endophytic fungal assemblages of Ficus

Foliar endophytic fungi (FEF) are diverse and ubiquitously associated with photosynthetic land plants. However, processes shaping FEF assemblages remain poorly understood. Previous studies have indicated that host identity and host habitat are contributing factors, but these factors are often difficult to disentangle. In this study, we studied FEF assemblages from plants grown in a botanical garden, enabling us to minimize the variation in abiotic environmental conditions and fungal dispersal capacity. FEF assemblages from 46 Ficus species were sequenced using next‐generation methods, and the results indicated that closely related host species had clearly differentiated FEF assemblages. Furthermore, host phylogenetic proximity was significantly correlated with the similarity of their FEF assemblages. In the canonical correspondence analysis, eleven leaf traits explained 32.9% of the total variation in FEF assemblages, whereas six traits (specific leaf area, leaf N content, leaf pH, toughness, latex alkaloid content, and latex volume per leaf area) were significant in the first two dimensions of ordination space. In the multiple regression on distance matrix analysis, 21.0% of the total variance in FEF assemblage was explained by both host phylogeny and leaf traits while phylogeny alone explained 7.9% of the variance. Thus, our findings suggest that both evolutionary and ecological processes are involved in shaping FEF assemblages.     

Interaction of multiple disturbances: importance of disturbance interval in the effects of fire on rehabilitating mined areas

Abstract Multiple disturbance regimes are increasingly common as novel anthropogenic disturbances are added to existing natural disturbances. However, it is generally unknown whether simultaneous or sequential effects of different forms of disturbance are predictable from the independent effects of each disturbance. This study examines the short‐term effects of sequential disturbance by mineral sand‐mining followed by fire in a forest community in south‐eastern Australia. Four combinations of disturbance were sampled: unburned mined, burned mined, unburned forest (unmined) and burned forest (unmined, with between‐fire interval matching the disturbance interval between mining and fire of the burned mined treatment). All combinations were sampled approximately 12 months following fire on the burned sites. The impact of fire after mining depended on disturbance interval. Sites burned 0.5–2.4 years since mining had fewer native vascular plant species than unburned mined sites of the same mined age, whereas sites with 10–16 years or 20–26 years between mining and fire had greater native species richness than unburned mined sites of the same age. Burning 20–26 years after mining brought native species richness within the range of burned forest. For both unmined and mined sites native seedling densities increased with burning, and with longer disturbance intervals. Weed species richness and weed seedling densities were greater on mined sites than in forest, and burning mined sites elevated weed seedling densities further, particularly for short intervals. Both disturbance interval and fire intensity are likely to have contributed to these results, as intensity on mined areas increased with interval, and at 20–26 years post‐mining was equivalent to unmined forest. These results suggest that fire could be used to promote rehabilitation of these mined areas after at least 10 years, but should be excluded from earlier stages of post‐mining regeneration. However, other sources of spatial and temporal variability should be considered in addition to interval and intensity, as variation among mined areas was correlated with post‐fire weather conditions and available weed sources. Finally, the combined effects of mining and fire could not be predicted from knowledge of the disturbances operating separately, indicating that effects of multiple disturbance may be synergistic rather than additive.