Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire

Resprouting as a response to disturbance is now widely recognized as a key functional trait among woody plants and as the basis for the persistence niche. However, the underlying mechanisms that define resprouting responses to disturbance are poorly conceptualized. Resprouting ability is constrained...

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Main Authors: Clarke, P., Lawes, M., Midgley, J., Lamont, Byron, Ojeda, F., Burrows, G., Enright, Neal, Knox, K.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34602
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author Clarke, P.
Lawes, M.
Midgley, J.
Lamont, Byron
Ojeda, F.
Burrows, G.
Enright, Neal
Knox, K.
author_facet Clarke, P.
Lawes, M.
Midgley, J.
Lamont, Byron
Ojeda, F.
Burrows, G.
Enright, Neal
Knox, K.
author_sort Clarke, P.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Resprouting as a response to disturbance is now widely recognized as a key functional trait among woody plants and as the basis for the persistence niche. However, the underlying mechanisms that define resprouting responses to disturbance are poorly conceptualized. Resprouting ability is constrained by the interaction of the disturbance regime that depletes the buds and resources needed to fund resprouting, and the environment that drives growth and resource allocation. We develop a buds-protection-resources (BPR) framework for understanding resprouting in fire-prone ecosystems, based on bud bank location, bud protection, and how buds are resourced. Using this framework we go beyond earlier emphases on basal resprouting and highlight the importance of apical, epicormic and below-ground resprouting to the persistence niche. The BPR framework provides insights into: resprouting typologies that include both fire resisters (i.e. survive fire but do not resprout) and fire resprouters; the methods by which buds escape fire effects, such as thick bark; and the predictability of community assembly of resprouting types in relation to site productivity, disturbance regime and competition. Furthermore, predicting the consequences of global change is enhanced by the BPR framework because it potentially forecasts the retention or loss of above-ground biomass.
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format Journal Article
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2012
publisher Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-346022017-09-13T15:13:58Z Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire Clarke, P. Lawes, M. Midgley, J. Lamont, Byron Ojeda, F. Burrows, G. Enright, Neal Knox, K. tradeoffs resources allocation epicormic shoots plant functional traits fire regime persistence niche obligate seeder bud banks Resprouting as a response to disturbance is now widely recognized as a key functional trait among woody plants and as the basis for the persistence niche. However, the underlying mechanisms that define resprouting responses to disturbance are poorly conceptualized. Resprouting ability is constrained by the interaction of the disturbance regime that depletes the buds and resources needed to fund resprouting, and the environment that drives growth and resource allocation. We develop a buds-protection-resources (BPR) framework for understanding resprouting in fire-prone ecosystems, based on bud bank location, bud protection, and how buds are resourced. Using this framework we go beyond earlier emphases on basal resprouting and highlight the importance of apical, epicormic and below-ground resprouting to the persistence niche. The BPR framework provides insights into: resprouting typologies that include both fire resisters (i.e. survive fire but do not resprout) and fire resprouters; the methods by which buds escape fire effects, such as thick bark; and the predictability of community assembly of resprouting types in relation to site productivity, disturbance regime and competition. Furthermore, predicting the consequences of global change is enhanced by the BPR framework because it potentially forecasts the retention or loss of above-ground biomass. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34602 10.1111/nph.12001 Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. unknown
spellingShingle tradeoffs
resources allocation
epicormic shoots
plant functional traits
fire regime
persistence niche
obligate seeder
bud banks
Clarke, P.
Lawes, M.
Midgley, J.
Lamont, Byron
Ojeda, F.
Burrows, G.
Enright, Neal
Knox, K.
Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
title Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
title_full Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
title_fullStr Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
title_full_unstemmed Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
title_short Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
title_sort resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire
topic tradeoffs
resources allocation
epicormic shoots
plant functional traits
fire regime
persistence niche
obligate seeder
bud banks
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34602