We have studied the regenerative strategies from the point of view of the effect of fire on the seed bank, germination capacity, opening of fruits, the liberation of seeds and development of seedlings. We have also taken into account other functional characteristics specific to each species such as dispersal systems, production of and size of seeds, or resprouting capacity. The germinative response to fire varies according to the specific species, the plants life cycle, the type of fire to which it is subjected and the local post-fire environment. In most of the species of the Cistaceae, Ericaceae and Leguminosae families found in the NW Iberian Peninsula, heat treatments stimulate germination, whilst in the rest of the families and species the effect is either null or negative. In none of the cases studied has the ash stimulated germination. In most of the species the effect of ash has been negative. Various indirect effects of fire on emergence in the seedling phase have been analysed. No significant changes were found in the tree species. However, in the shrub species, the increase in the number of seedlings that emerged after fire is considerable. The development of the resprouts after fire depends on the intensity and frequency of these and the phase of the plants life cycle in which they occur. In the Atlantic shrublands, after fire, the resprouting plants such as Ulex europaeus, Ulex gallii and Erica australis recover their populations much more quickly than those that do not resprout, or those that resprout with much less intensity. This difference could displace the competition, favouring the species that resprout intensively. This displacement could be aggravated in the case of very frequent wildfires.