Background:Seedproduction,seeddispersalandseedlingestablishmentarerelevantlifephasesofplants.Understandingtheseprocessesandtheirpatternsisessentialtorecognizevegetationdynamicsandtoapplyittoforestrestoration.Methods:ForOleaeuropaeaandScheffleraabyssinica,fecunditywasestimatedusingrandomizedbranchsampling.Seeddispersalandseedlingestablishmentweremonitoredusingspatiallyexplicitseedtrapsandplots.Dispersalfunctionswerecalibratedapplyinginversemodeling.Results:O.europaeaproducedmoreseedsandhadlongerdispersaldistancescomparedtoS.abyssinica.Correlationsbetweenobservedandpredictednumberofrecruitswerestatisticallysignificant.Seedlingsofthetwospeciesshoweddifferentnicherequirements.Conclusions:Thestudiedspecieswererecruitment-limitedduetolowdispersalactivityorlackofsuitablemicrosites.Restorationrelyingonnaturalregenerationshouldovercometheselimitationsbyincreasingdisperservisitationandreducingbioticandabioticstresses.
