Resprouting as a key functional trait in woody plants: challenges to developing new organizing principles

Abstract

Most global biomes are shaped by disturbances, such as fire or herbivory, that damage or kill the aboveground biomass of plants. In many of these biomes, however, the damaged plants do not die; rather, they persist through sprouting. In disturbance-prone environments, resprouting from meristems stabilizes plant populations where disturbance may cause demographic bottlenecks. The advantage of resprouting is that it confers persistence under disturbance; however, sprouting has disadvantages such as potentially reducing sexual reproduction and limiting gene flow (Bond & Midgley, 2001; Lamont & Wiens, 2003). Understanding resprouting is critically important for understanding long-term vegetation dynamics, extinction risks, carbon balance and woody plant management. A Vegetation Function Working Group (Working Group 67; http://www.vegfunction.net/wg/67/67_Sprouting.htm) was established in 2009 to identify challenges encountered in developing coherent models of the functional role of resprouting in fire-prone environments, with an emphasis on savanna and Mediterranean biomes. Fire is the most pervasive disturbance and is integral to the evolutionary ecology of these biomes. This broad disciplinary group met at the International Ecological Conference (INTECOL) in Brisbane in September 2009 and reconvened in July 2010 at The University of New England, Armidale, Australia, to review progress. In this report we highlight major challenges encountered in developing unifying models of the functional role of resprouting.