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 …

Many plants resprout from basal buds after disturbance, and this is common in shrublands
subjected to high-intensity fires. However, resprouting after fire from epicormic (stem) buds is …

Fire is a major modifier of communities, but the evolutionary origins of its prevalent role in
sha** current biomes are uncertain. Australia is among the most fire-prone continents …

We investigated the fire resistance conferred by bark of seven common tree species in north
Australian tropical savannas. We estimated bark thermal conductance and examined the …

To recruit to reproductive size in fire‐prone savannas, juvenile trees must avoid stem
mortality (topkill) by fire. Theory suggests they either grow tall, raising apical buds above the …

Plant modularity traits relevant to functions of on-spot persistence, space occupancy,
resprouting after disturbance, as well as resource storage, sharing, and foraging have been …

The formation of epicormic sprouts on the boles of trees is a phenomenon that has, until
recently, been poorly understood. Renewed interest in the topic in the last two decades has …

Plant functional traits provide a valuable tool to improve our understanding of ecological
processes at a range of scales. Previous handbooks on plant functional traits have …

Fire and herbivory are the main disturbances sha** the structure of savannas. In these
ecosystems, the key strategies by which woody plants escape fire are either early height …

In fire‐prone ecosystems, bark protects the stem bud bank from fire. Absolute bark thickness
is a good indicator of this protective function, but it depends on stem size as well as inherent …