Determinants of post–fire regeneration demography in a subtropical monsoon–climate forest in Southwest China

Highlights: • Exploring determinants of post-fire regeneration using structural equation models • Resprouting dominates the rapid forest regeneration in Yunnan Central Plateau. • Denser regeneration occurred with higher altitude and pre-fire abundance. • Resprouts were widely distributed and more competitive in recovery. • Reseeds were more successful on the infertile sites. Understanding the determinants of post–fire regeneration is critical for determining an appropriate restoration program following fire disturbances. However, studies addressing the drivers of post–fire regeneration of forests in monsoon climate are rare. This study explored the temporal and spatial variations of post–fire forest regeneration in the Central Yunnan Plateau of Southwest China, and disentangled the direct and indirect effects of the environmental factors via structural equation models (SEMs). We found that the overall post–fire regeneration density was generally greater for the habitat with higher values of elevation, pre–fire abundance, and soil pH. Post–fire regeneration was mainly composed of resprouts; seedlings were less relevant and appeared later. The SEM approach showed more variation of recruitment in resprouting (R² = 0.66) than seeding (R² = 0.33), and revealed different direct and indirect pathways. Resprouts were widely distributed, and significantly influenced by pre–fire abundance, elevation, soil pH, and years since the last fire. In contrast, seedlings preferentially occurred in infertile habitats, and were mainly influenced by topographic position and soil nutrients, showing distinct distribution from that of resprouts. Overall, forests under the subtropical monsoon climate in the Central Yunnan Plateau were resilient to fire mainly due to rapid post–fire resprouting. These findings indicate the complementary roles of resprouting and seeding in post- fire regeneration, and help to understand the mechanisms that regulate post-fire plant regeneration in a spatially heterogeneous landscape. Our results should contribute to improving the post–fire management of forest ecosystems under the influence of a semi–humid monsoon climate.