A wood functional perspective on the low success of savanna trees under woody encroachment.

Key Points

• To explore how functional differences in wood allocation impact the success of savanna specialist trees during woody encroachment.
• Comparative analysis of wood volume allocation between savanna specialists, generalists, and forest species.
• Assessment of xylem cell structure and function in different species.
• Savanna specialists allocate wood volume differently than generalist and forest species.
• Limited success of savanna specialists in encroached areas attributed to specific wood functional traits.