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Variation in vegetation cover and seedling performance of tree species in a forest-savanna ecotone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2019

Hamza Issifu ,
George K. D. Ametsitsi ,
Lana J. de Vries ,
Gloria Djaney Djagbletey ,
Stephen Adu-Bredu ,
Philippine Vergeer ,
Frank van Langevelde  and
Elmar Veenendaal
Hamza Issifu*
Affiliation:
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands Department of Forestry and Forest Resources Management, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box 1882, Tamale, Ghana
George K. D. Ametsitsi
Affiliation:
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, P O. Box 63, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
Lana J. de Vries
Affiliation:
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
Gloria Djaney Djagbletey
Affiliation:
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, P O. Box 63, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
Stephen Adu-Bredu
Affiliation:
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, P O. Box 63, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
Philippine Vergeer
Affiliation:
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
Frank van Langevelde
Affiliation:
Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands School of Life Sciences, Westville Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
Elmar Veenendaal
Affiliation:
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
*
*Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Differential tree seedling recruitment across forest-savanna ecotones is poorly understood, but hypothesized to be influenced by vegetation cover and associated factors. In a 3-y-long field transplant experiment in the forest-savanna ecotone of Ghana, we assessed performance and root allocation of 864 seedlings for two forest (Khaya ivorensis and Terminalia superba) and two savanna (Khaya senegalensis and Terminalia macroptera) species in savanna woodland, closed-woodland and forest. Herbaceous vegetation biomass was significantly higher in savanna woodland (1.0 ± 0.4 kg m−2 vs 0.2 ± 0.1 kg m−2 in forest) and hence expected fire intensities, while some soil properties were improved in forest. Regardless, seedling survival declined significantly in the first-year dry-season for all species with huge declines for the forest species (50% vs 6% for Khaya and 16% vs 2% for Terminalia) by year 2. After 3 y, only savanna species survived in savanna woodland. However, best performance for savanna Khaya was in forest, but in savanna woodland for savanna Terminalia which also had the highest biomass fraction (0.8 ± 0.1 g g−1 vs 0.6 ± 0.1 g g−1 and 0.4 ± 0.1 g g−1) and starch concentration (27% ± 10% vs 15% ± 7% and 10% ± 4%) in roots relative to savanna and forest Khaya respectively. Our results demonstrate that tree cover variation has species-specific effects on tree seedling recruitment which is related to root storage functions.

Keywords

Biomass allocationcanopy coverdrought survivalfuel loadroot starchseedling traitssoil propertiestropical trees
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , March 2019 , pp. 74 - 82
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019 

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