Gillman et al. (2003): Response of forest tree seedlings to simulated litterfall damage.

Gillman, L.N., Wright, S.D. & Ogden, J. 2003. Response of forest tree seedlings to simulated litterfall damage. Plant Ecology 169: 53-60.

Litterfall has been recognised as an important cause of seedling mortality in many forests. However, this is the first study to demonstrate differences in resilience to litterfall among seedling species. Seedling pairs of seven species were selected and one of each pair was pinned to the ground to simulate litterfall damage. Surprisingly, pinned Nothofagus menziesii and Hedycarya arborea suffered few mortalities and grew much faster than unpinned seedlings, whereas pinned Nestegis cunninghamii and Prumnopitys ferruginea suffered high mortalities and survivors grew little. Other species demonstrated intermediate resilience. This variable resilience combined with variability in microsite litterfall risk may contribute to regeneration niche differentiation.