Shade alters the growth and architecture of tropical grasses by reducing root biomass

Tropical grassy biomes have variable tree cover and are often characterized by a flammable grassy ground layer where the dominating grass species have strategies to persist and proliferate with frequent fire. However, there is limited understanding of how grass growth and flammability traits respond to light availability. We experimentally grew 14 grass species characteristic of the Malagasy Central Highlands for one year with four treatments of...