Drivers of tree community assembly during tropical forest post-fire succession in anthropogenic savannas

Schematic representation of the successional pathway operating during forest recovery in anthropogenic savannas of New Caledonia. Contrasts in functional and phylogenetic composition, diversity, as well as in temporal change in composition between communities of forest edge and forest interior are i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics evolution and systematics, 2021-10, Vol.52, p.125630, Article 125630
Main Authors: Blanchard, Grégoire, Ibanez, Thomas, Munoz, François, Bruy, David, Hely, Christelle, Munzinger, Jérôme, Birnbaum, Philippe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assembly processes
Environmental Sciences
Fire
Functional traits
Savanna
Succession
Tropical forest
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Summary:Schematic representation of the successional pathway operating during forest recovery in anthropogenic savannas of New Caledonia. Contrasts in functional and phylogenetic composition, diversity, as well as in temporal change in composition between communities of forest edge and forest interior are indicated. The influence of drought and fire favours species with small and thicker leaves, thicker bark and orthotropic growth in edge communities, while increasing light-limitation favours species with large and thinner leaves, thinner bark as well as both plagiotropic and orthotropic growth. Functional and phylogenetic diversity increases during succession, and the rate of temporal changes in composition slows down in forest interior. [Display omitted] •We surveyed transects in an area of recent forest post-fire recovery in savanna.•We analyzed spatio-temporal shifts in trait and phylogenetic community composition.•Fire and drought entail environmental filtering in young edge communities.•Temporal changes are faster in edge communities than in forest interior.•We provide insights on the processes driving tropical forest post-fire recovery. In the context of global change, tropical forests are increasingly affected by fires. Understanding the ecological processes driving forest recovery in fire-modified landscapes is a critical issue. We analyzed spatial and temporal (8 years) changes in functional and phylogenetic composition of tree communities during forest post-fire recovery in anthropogenic savannas. We used null models to infer the main assembly processes driving forest succession along three 90-m transects running from an advancing savanna-forest edge to forest interior in New Caledonia. We also evaluated if successional changes differed between large and small trees, or depended on the demography of remnant savanna trees. We found coordinated shifts from drought- and fire-resistance towards shade-tolerance strategies, involving leaf, stem, and architectural traits along transects. Our results indicate stronger environmental filtering and faster temporal changes in composition of young edge communities. In forest interior, our results suggest slower compositional changes, with an important role of light limitation in community assembly. These non-random patterns depended on both the decline of savanna trees and compositional changes among forest species. We also found contrasting community patterns depending on tree size, supporting a stronger influence
ISSN:1433-8319
1618-0437
DOI:10.1016/j.ppees.2021.125630