Grass layer limits tree seedling survival but not tree seedling growth in African and South American savannas

• Published in: Journal of vegetation science Vol. 35; no. 4
• Main Authors: Mochi, Lucía S., Morrison, Thomas A., Stevens, Nicola, Mazía, Noemí, Anderson, T. Michael, Holdo, Ricardo M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-07-2024
• Subjects: African savanna; Aridity; aridity index; Carbon content; Clay; Climate models; Environmental gradient; Evapotranspiration; Fabaceae; Grasses; Grasslands; Health risks; Indigenous species; Moisture content; Mortality; Mortality risk; Organic carbon; Organic soils; plant competition; Precipitation; Retention capacity; savanna ecosystems; Savannahs; Seedlings; Soil conditions; Soil improvement; Soil layers; Soil water; South American savanna; Survival; tree seedling growth; tree seedling survival; Trees; tree–grass interaction
• ISSN: 1100-9233; 1654-1103
• DOI: 10.1111/jvs.13302

Questions
How does the grass layer affect seedlings across large environmental gradients in savannas?
Location
Savanna sites in Argentina, Tanzania, and South Africa.
Methods
We carried out a joint analysis of three grass removal experiments in which seedlings of various Fabaceae species were transplanted into plots with native grass and companion plots where grass had been removed. First, we estimated the effect of grasses on tree seedling mortality and seedling growth rate at each site. Then, we used the resulting coefficient estimates from site‐level models to examine the impact of two climate (monthly precipitation and aridity index) and two soil (soil organic carbon content and clay content) variables on the direction and magnitude of the grass effects.
Results
Grasses increased the risk of mortality, but there was no evidence for a global effect of grasses on tree seedling rate of height growth. The best model fit indicated a high mortality risk of tree seedlings in response to grasses at intermediate aridity index values. No other climate or soil variable influenced tree seedling survival or growth (monthly precipitation, soil organic carbon content and clay content).
Conclusions
Our results support the notion that the grass layer consistently creates a bottleneck to tree seedling establishment in African and South American savannas beyond climate and soil conditions, mainly by affecting tree seedling survival. The negative effect of grasses on seedling survival was lower in dry conditions compared to intermediate aridity levels. These results suggest that grass–seedling interaction is less intense in drier conditions, possibly due to reduced total grass biomass, which leads to decreased site evapotranspiration and improved soil water retention capacity.
This study presents a joint analysis of field research in African and South American savannas. We assessed the effect of grasses on tree seedling survival and growth across a gradient of climate and soil variables. Grasses reduced tree seedling survival with no consistent global effects on growth. The influence of grass on seedling mortality was higher at moderately arid sites.