Epicormic resprouting in fire-prone ecosystems

Many plants resprout from basal buds after disturbance, and this is common in shrublands subjected to high-intensity fires. However, resprouting after fire from epicormic (stem) buds is globally far less common. Unlike basal resprouting, post-fire epicormic resprouting is a key plant adaptation for retention of the arborescent skeleton after fire, allowing rapid recovery of the forest or woodland and leading to greater ecosystem resilience under recurrent high-intensity fires. Here we review the biogeography of epicormic resprouting, the mechanisms of protection, the fire regimes where it occurs, and the evolutionary drivers that shaped this trait. We propose that epicormic resprouting is adaptive in ecosystems with high fire frequency and relatively high productivity, at moderate–high fire intensities.This Opinion article was prepared under the framework of the FILAS project (CGL2015-64086-P) from the Spanish government (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad) and the FOCSEC project (PROMETEO/2016/021) from the Valencia government (Generalitat Valenciana). The authors thank Geoff Burrows, Byron Lamont, Dylan Schwilk, and P. van Mantgen for their comments. The CIDE (Desertification Research Centre) is a joint institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the University of Valencia, and Generalitat Valenciana.Peer reviewe