Projected Juvenile Period Change for Fire-Adapted Plants in Southwest Australia

Juvenile period data for serotinous obligate-seeder plant taxa across south-west Australia were collated from several studies. Linear models estimate juvenile period based on environmental productivity, with projections for change between recent conditions and 2050 under RCP 4.5. The dataset was created by Carl Gosper of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

Use Cases

• Analyze projected change in juvenile period under RCP 4.5 to assess fire interval risks for specific plant taxa.
• Model relationships between environmental productivity measures and the juvenile period metric (years to 50% flowering).
• Spatially project juvenile period estimates onto Mediterranean agro-climatic class areas for regional conservation planning.
• Use the juvenile period metric to inform local fire management strategies for obligate-seeding species.

Strengths

• Data is derived from collated studies on serotinous obligate-seeder taxa, providing a consolidated research foundation.
• Includes spatially projected models for classic and drier Mediterranean agro-climatic classes within a defined region.
• Projections are made for a specific future climate scenario (RCP 4.5) and timeframe (2050).

Limitations

• The underlying sample size from collated studies and model accuracy for individual species are not specified.
• Projections are limited to south-west Australia and the RCP 4.5 scenario, reducing generalizability.
• Data is provided in multiple GIS formats, requiring specialized geospatial tools for full analysis.

Provenance

Source

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).

Collection Method

Data collated from several studies, with juvenile period estimated using linear models based on environmental productivity.

Time Range

Projections compare recent conditions to 2050.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

South-west Australia, specifically classic and drier Mediterranean agro-climatic class areas.