Back to seedlings: rethinking the slow-fast continuum across tree life stages.

Authors

María Natalia Umaña, Natalia Norden, Ana Belén Hurtado-M

Published in

Trends in ecology & evolution. Oct 15, 2026. Epub Oct 15, 2026.

Abstract

Forest dynamics have traditionally been interpreted through the lens of adult trees, yet most mortality occurs during the seedling stage, shaping future forests. A central assumption in ecology is that demographic trade-offs, such as the slow-fast continuum, operate consistently across ontogeny. However, increasing evidence challenges this view. Seedlings experience high pest-driven mortality, strong environmental filtering, and stochastic variation in dispersal and microsite conditions, which can decouple early-life performance from adult demography. We synthesize recent developments suggesting that seedling trade-offs may either reflect a scaled-down version of adult dynamics or diverge into alternative axes, such as the recruitment-stature axis. Recognizing these shifts is important, as climate change is likely to further reshape the regeneration process and alter community assembly in future forests.

PMID:
42881017
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Oct 2026.

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