Ecological and evolutionary differences between Mediterranean seeders and resprouters

Differences in allocation patterns between seeders and resprouters in several Mediterranean plant communities (Australia, California and South Africa) have led to the prediction that seedlings of seeders grow faster than those of resprouters. In the Mediterranean Basin, it has also been hypothesized that regeneration strategy of plants after fire is associated with several other life history traits. This paper tests both hypotheses for the dominant plants in the Mediterranean Basin from literature data. Results show that seeders from the Mediterranean Basin grow significantly faster and allocate more biomass to leaf plus paracotyledons than resprouters. Seeders are mainly non-sclerophyllous, anemochorous, dry-fruited, small-seeded species that evolved in the Quaternary (post-Pliocene) and are associated with earlier successional stages. Resprouters are mainly sclerophyllous, vertebrate-dispersed, fleshy-fruited, large-seeded species that evolved in the Tertiary (pre-Pliocene) and are associated with late successional stages.