Mechanisms of fire‐maintained plant species diversity in species‐rich wet pine savannas

Temperate savannas and grasslands maintained by frequent, low-intensity disturbances such as fire contain among the most species-rich plant communities in world. Precisely how these maintain high fine-scale diversity is poorly understood. This study examined effects of frequency simulated (clipping combined with litter removal) relative importance recruitment survival on species trait composition at each two pine southeastern Mississippi (USA) that had not been recently burned. Ten 2 × m plots site were clipped/cleared annually from 2014 to 2019 again spring 2021 (annual frequency). The other 10 clipping clipped 2018 2020 (reduced Vegetation small subplots annual reduced was compared August test a short period without composition. To composition, four 0.25 quarter established within per following treatment fall assigned factorial arrangement transplantation sods long-unburned areas herbicide application. Reducing altered both sites. A comparison responses transplant treatments revealed affect diversity. Partial or complete recovery removal sites driven rapid increases short-lived, resilient show fire-stimulated emergence seed bank persistence long-lived capable surviving prolonged clipping. Species resilience more likely be lost treatment. Results are consistent model short-term coexistence maximum frequent regime fuels will permit.