Sprouting by remobilization of above‐ground resources ensures persistence after disturbance of coastal dune forest trees

Abstract

1. Resprouting in woody plants is a trait that facilitates persistence in disturbance-prone environments. Patterns of allocation of resources for resprouting may depend on the severity of disturbance to which the plants are adapted. Fire-adapted plants allocate more resources to below-ground structures for resprouting after destruction of above-ground structures. However, plants that resprout in response to disturbances where above-ground structures survive may remobilize above-ground resources for resprouting. 2. In coastal sand dunes, stem leaning and partial uprooting of trees result in high frequency of resprouting (38·9% of individuals; 90·6% of species). We tested whether 'good' and 'poor' resprouters differed in allocation to root biomass and root carbohydrate reserves. Species were assigned to categories of resprouting ability based on the frequency of multi-stemmed individuals in the local population. To control for phylogenetic effects, we contrasted poor and good resprouter species pairs from three families. 3. We tested whether plants stored more reserves in roots or stems and whether above-ground resources were remobilized for resprouting. The latter was measured from the number and dry mass of sprouts produced by trees cut to stump heights of 10 and 150 cm above-ground level. 4. Good resprouters had larger seedling root:shoot ratios and higher stem and root carbohydrate concentrations than poor resprouters. Both good and poor resprouters maintained higher carbohydrate concentrations in stems than in roots. 5. For both good and poor resprouters, 150-cm stumps produced more sprouts than 10-cm stumps. At each stump height, good resprouters produced more sprouts than poor resprouters. 6. Resource allocation in coastal dune trees appears to be a bet-hedging strategy. After low-severity disturbances, resprouting occurs by remobilization of above-ground resources. Below-ground resources may be more costly to remobilize but may allow recovery from occasional more severe disturbances.