How does resprouting response differ among three species of savanna trees and in relation to plant size?

Abstract

Cerrado tree species can survive fi re by resprouting. Generally, large and less damaged plants produce new branches and leaves from stem buds (aerial), whereas small and highly injured individuals would resprout from the stem base or from underground organs (basal). We compared the three most common Cerrado woody plant species in a savanna area of the IBGE Ecological Reserve, Brasília, Brazil, aiming to verify if the resprouting strategy (aerial or basal) diff ered between species and if that was related to plant size. Guapira noxia had small-sized plants, a higher percentage of trunk charred and more individuals with basal resprouting, while Eriotheca pubescens had large-sized plants with a greater intensity of aerial resprouting, Basal resprouting was associated with disturbance severity for Dalbergia miscolobium, while plant size was associated with aerial resprouting for E. pubescens. None of variables explained the variation in resprouting of G. noxia. Th e results showed that the post-fi re regeneration strategy varied according to the species, confi rming other studies of post-fi re resprouting.

Bryophytes in Amazon savannas: richness and composition in disjunct areas in the Eastern Amazon

“…An Acad Bras Cienc (2022) 94(1) e20200465 14 | 21 altitude, climate, and seasonality contribute to the formation and structuring of these plants in these types of environments (Eiten 1972, Ratter et al 2003, Silva & Batalha 2010, Melo Júnior et al 2012, Pausas 2015, Massi & Franco 2016, Souchie et al 2017.…”

Is the removal of aboveground shrub biomass an effective technique to restore a shrub‐encroached grassland?

“…We expected that the effectiveness of cutting would vary with shrub morphology (Fang et al 2006b). For example, taller plants and those with a greater basal area and more biomass would be more likely to resprout after cutting because they can allocate resources to recover from disturbance (Massi & Franco 2016) or overcompensate with greater bud growth, such as occurs with bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) a dryland shrub (Bilbrough & Richards 1993). In contrast, smaller shrubs with smaller canopies and less biomass might be expected to be more susceptible to cutting because resources would be rapidly depleted by cutting, and shrubs would be less likely to resprout (Fig.…”