Seedling recruitment under isolated trees in a tea plantation provides a template for forest restoration in eastern Africa.

ABSTRACT: Natural regeneration is less expensive than tree planting, but determining what species will arrive and establish to serve as templates for tropical forest restoration remains poorly investigated in eastern Africa. This study summarises seedling recruitment under 29 isolated legacy trees (14 trees comprised of three exotic species and 15 trees comprised of seven native species) in tea plantations in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Among the findings were that pioneer recruits were very abundant whereas non-pioneers were disproportionately fewer. Importantly, 98% of all recruits were animal-dispersed. The size of legacy trees, driven mostly by the exotic Grevillea robusta, and to some extent, the native Milicia excelsa, explained abundance of recruits. The distribution of bird-disper

SUBMITTER: Ndangalasi HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8101954 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature