TY - JOUR T1 - The ecology and significance of below-ground bud banks in plants JF - Annals of Botany Y1 - 2019 A1 - Ott, Jacqueline P A1 - Klimešová, Jitka A1 - D.C. Hartnett KW - below-ground organs KW - Bud KW - Bud bank KW - clonal KW - disturbance KW - Meristem KW - Plant traits KW - population dynamics AB -

Below-ground bud banks have experienced much recent interest due to discoveries that they (1) account for the majority of seasonal population renewal in many communities, (2) are crucial to regeneration following disturbance, and (3) have important consequences for plant population dynamics and plant and ecosystem function across a number of habitats.

This review presents an overview of the role of bud banks in plant population renewal, examines bud bank life history, summarizes bud bank traits and their potential ecological implications, synthesizes the response of bud banks to disturbance, and highlights gaps to guide future research. The characteristics and life history of buds, including their natality, dormancy, protection and longevity, provide a useful framework for advancing our understanding of bud banks. The fate of buds depends on their age, size, type, location, and biotic and abiotic factors that collectively regulate bud bank dynamics. A bud bank can provide a demographic storage effect stabilizing population dynamics, and also confer resistance to disturbance and invasion. Regeneration capacity following disturbance is determined by interactions among the rates of bud natality, depletion and dormancy (meristem limitation), and the resources available to support the regeneration process. The resulting response of plants and their bud banks to disturbances such as fire, herbivory and anthropogenic sources determines the community’s regenerative capacity.


VL - 123 UR - https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/123/7/1099/5511692 IS - 7 ER -