@article{fdi:010046008,
  title = {{E}stablishment and early persistence of tree seedlings in an annually burned savanna},
  author = {{G}ignoux, {J}. and {L}ahoreau, {G}. and {J}ulliard, {R}. and {B}arot, {S}{\'e}bastien},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}n severely disturbed habitats, the onset of resprouting as a persistence strategy might be problematic for tree species which do not accumulate sufficient reserves before the first disturbance event. {T}his is due to the trade-off between the growth of reserves required to recover after disturbance and that of photosynthetic tissues. {I}n humid savannas, fire prevents trees from invading the whole landscape and nearby gallery forests have a completely different floristic composition. {W}e test if the variations of survival during the first years of a young tree's life can explain the exclusion of forest species and the dominance pattern within savanna species. {E}very six months for four years, we censused all seedlings and resprouts in 1 ha area of an annually burned savanna, to estimate their seasonal survival rates. {W}e used capture-recapture statistical models to control for the probability of missing seedlings in the tall grass. {T}here were two main distinct patterns of survival among seedlings: 'fire-responding' species showed a 20-80% decrease in survival during the dry season, interpreted as mainly due to fire; 'drought-responding' species showed 20-80% variations in survival positively correlated to early-growing-season rainfall. {Y}early averaged survival probabilities of seedlings ranged between 0.10 and 0.63, reaching 0.850-0.996 for > 3-year-old resprouts of savanna species. {F}orest species showed no increase in survival with age. {A} 4-year-survival-probability analysis showed that forest species were excluded from the savanna at the seedling stage. {N}o parameter of the early survival curve related to the abundance of savanna species at the adult stage. {S}ynthesis. {S}avanna tree species follow two mutually exclusive main patterns of early survival probably related to fire and early-wet-season drought. {T}he exclusion of forest species is consistent with a build up of reserves that is too slow due to the growth-resistance trade-off. {W}e conclude from these findings that the use of resprouting as a persistence strategy is heavily constrained by disturbance frequency and imposes strong trade-offs on plant growth strategy.},
  keywords = {{D}isturbance ; fire ; persistence niche ; resprouting ability ; seedling ; survival ; tree demography ; tropical savanna},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {E}cology},
  volume = {97},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {484--495},
  ISSN = {0022-0477},
  year = {2009},
  DOI = {10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01493.x},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010046008},
}