2022
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3715
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Fire, grazers, and browsers interact with grass competition to determine tree establishment in an African savanna

Abstract: In savanna ecosystems, fire and herbivory alter the competitive relationship between trees and grasses. Mechanistically, grazing herbivores favor trees by removing grass, which reduces tree-grass competition and limits fire. Conversely, browsing herbivores consume trees and limit their recovery from fire.Herbivore feeding decisions are in turn shaped by risk-resource trade-offs that potentially determine the spatial patterns of herbivory. Identifying the dominant mechanistic pathways by which fire and herbivor… Show more

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Cited by 15 publications
(6 citation statements)
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“…Second, the grass sward on mounds is likely to be considerably more nutritious than the grass sward off the mounds in the savannas, which would increase the herbivory pressure on the mounds. Such pressure is likely to constrain tree seedlings more than it would constrain the grass sward (Donaldson et al., 2022 ; Muvengwi et al., 2019 ; Voysey et al., 2021 ). Lastly, notwithstanding the greater herbivory pressure on termite mounds, relatively fast grass growth on the mounds in wetter years is likely to result in higher‐intensity fires on the mounds than off them (Figure 1c ).…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Second, the grass sward on mounds is likely to be considerably more nutritious than the grass sward off the mounds in the savannas, which would increase the herbivory pressure on the mounds. Such pressure is likely to constrain tree seedlings more than it would constrain the grass sward (Donaldson et al., 2022 ; Muvengwi et al., 2019 ; Voysey et al., 2021 ). Lastly, notwithstanding the greater herbivory pressure on termite mounds, relatively fast grass growth on the mounds in wetter years is likely to result in higher‐intensity fires on the mounds than off them (Figure 1c ).…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…We expected sunlight interception to vary between grass species, and those seedlings grown in tall (i.e. unclipped), high‐biomass grasses would experience reduced growth and survival due to higher rates of grass transpiration and lower light levels (Bhadouria et al., 2020; Donaldson et al., 2022; Tomlinson et al., 2019). However, we predicted that tree seedling species that dominate more mesic, productive sites in Serengeti would have higher growth and survival when grown with unclipped grasses compared to tree species dominating drier sites (Anthelme & Michalet, 2009).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…While resources, such as mean annual precipitation (MAP), can set limits on vegetation growth, disturbances such as fires can constrain savanna vegetation structure. Fires consume above‐ground biomass (AGB), alter tree‐grass coexistence and modify the size class distribution of trees (Donaldson et al, 2022; Higgins et al, 2007; Murphy et al, 2014), preventing vegetation from reaching its resource driven potential and creating a substantial discrepancy between observed and climatically defined potential vegetation biomass (Bond, 2005; Bond & Keeley, 2005). However, vegetation structural responses to fire over large spatial extents are difficult to ascertain, due in part to a lack of spatially expansive fine‐scale data on vegetation structure.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%