The survival mechanisms of plants in response to fire were investigated to understand thernecological freqances of plants in frequently burning plots of savanna woodlands andrngrasslands. These studies included: strategies of post-fire regeneration and resistance ofrntree-bark to fire; plant cover, leaf nutrient and condensed tannin concentrations followingrnexperimental burning treatments and relationships between fire and seasonal variations inrnleaf condensed tannin; soil seed bank dynamics; influence of heat on seed germination.rnRegeneration mechanisms of vegetation were studied along a transect line by quantifyingrnfoliar cover and fi'equency of individual plant species regenerating by resprouting, byrnseedlings or both, during the dry season and the early wet season. Resprouting plants (bothrnfacultative and obligate) significantly contributed to post-fire recovery, comprising 98.S %rnof total vegetation cover. The contribution of seedlings to cover and abundancernimmediately following fire was negligible, but seedling density increased in the early rainyrnseason, 4 to S months after fire. The vigour of resprouting and seeding among species inrndifferent plant growth forms was discussed in relation to fire regimes. The role of tree barkrnthickness to sUlvival was studied. Results indicated that tree bark resistance to fire variedrninterspecifically related to bark thickness, other characteristics and age ofthe plant.rnThe effects ofthree treatments: fire, biomass additions and ash fertilisation on plant cover,rnleaf nutrient (N, P, K) and condensed tannin concentrations were examined prior tornexperimental burning and after 90 and 210 days. There was a strong effect of fire on therncover of grasses and tree seedlings (P