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Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
P J Clarke1, M J Lawes2, J J Midgley3
1Botany, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
The New Phytologist
|November 1, 2012
Summary
Resprouting is crucial for woody plant survival after disturbances. A new buds-protection-resources (BPR) framework explains how bud location, protection, and resources influence resprouting success in fire-prone ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Plant Biology
- Disturbance Ecology
Background:
- Resprouting is a key functional trait for woody plant persistence.
- Mechanisms underlying resprouting responses to disturbance are not well understood.
- Resprouting is influenced by disturbance regimes and environmental factors affecting resource allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a conceptual framework for understanding resprouting in fire-prone ecosystems.
- To integrate bud bank location, bud protection, and resource availability into a unified model.
- To expand the understanding of resprouting beyond basal mechanisms to include apical, epicormic, and below-ground strategies.
Main Methods:
- Development of the buds-protection-resources (BPR) framework.
- Analysis of bud bank characteristics (location, protection, resourcing).
- Application of the framework to fire-prone ecosystems and community assembly.
Main Results:
- The BPR framework categorizes resprouting typologies (fire resisters vs. fire resprouters).
- Identifies bud protection mechanisms (e.g., thick bark) and their role in fire survival.
- Predicts community assembly of resprouting types based on site productivity, disturbance, and competition.
Conclusions:
- The BPR framework enhances understanding of resprouting diversity and ecological strategies.
- It provides insights into fire resistance and resprouting mechanisms.
- The framework aids in predicting the impact of global change on above-ground biomass retention.
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