GEST

Global Experiment on Savanna Tree Seedlings

                                                                            
GEST is a comparative experiment of seedling growth of savanna tree species, based on increasing evidence that the seedling stage of tree growth is critically important to the long-term dynamics of savanna systems. Research worldwide suggests there are differences in the environmental limitations constraining savanna tree seedlings in wet environments (nutrients, light, fire) and dry environments (water, nutrients, grazing). In addition, biogeographical studies have indicated that regional distribution of tree species in tropical and sub-tropical savannas in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, is related to rainfall gradients and to soil fertility, suggesting that different tree growth traits are required for each of these environments.
 

Questions

1. Do tree seedlings respond differently to resources in savannas around the world?

2. Do tree seedlings differ in their ability to compete with grasses for different resources? Under which conditions are competition for nutrients, light and water important?

3. Do tree seedlings differ in their ability to tolerate defoliation?

4. Do the species’ seedlings show convergent traits for environmental conditions (annual rainfall X soil fertility), or are the differences related to continent of origin, or to phylogeny?


Methods

Funding

GEST is predominantly funded through a grant from Shell Research Foundation.