Dataset from: Browsing is a strong filter for savanna tree seedlings in their first growing season

<p dir="ltr">This dataset describes that newly germinated seedlings are vulnerable to biomass removal but usually have at least six months to grow before they are exposed to dry-season fires, a major disturbance in savannas. In contrast, plants are exposed to browsers from the time they germinate, making browsing potentially a very powerful bottleneck for establishing seedlings.<br>Here we assess the resilience of seedlings of 10 savanna tree species to top-kill during the first 6 months of growth. Newly germinated seeds from four dominant African genera from across the rainfall gradient were planted in a common garden experiment at the Wits Rural Facility and clipped at 1 cm when they were ~2, 3, 4, and 5 months old. Survival, growth, and key plant traits were monitored for the following 2.5 years.<br>Seedlings from environments with high herbivory pressure survived top-kill at a younger age than those from low-herbivore environments, and more palatable had higher herbivore-tolerance. Most individuals that survived were able to recover lost biomass within 12 months, but the clipping treatment affected root mass fraction and branching patterns. The impact of early browsing as a demographic bottleneck can be predicted by integrating information on the probability of being browsed and the probability of surviving a browse event. Establishment limitation through early browsing is an under-recognized constraint on savanna tree species distributions.</p>