Université de Fribourg

Does the strength of facilitation by nurse shrubs depend on grazing resistance of tree saplings?

Vandenberghe, Charlotte ; Smit, Christian ; Pohl, Mandy ; Buttler, Alexandre ; Freléchoux, François

In: Basic and Applied Ecology, 2009, vol. 10, no. 5, p. 427-436

Facilitation of tree regeneration by nurse shrubs that offer protection against large herbivores is an important driver of wood-pasture dynamics. Here we asked whether the response to facilitation by nurse shrubs depends on the grazing resistance of the protégé saplings. We experimentally tested the protective effects of the thorny Rosa rubiginosa on browsing frequency, survival, and biomass...