Establishment of Jeffrey Pine Seedlings from Animal Caches

1992 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Vander Wall
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Pinus Jeffreyi ◽  
Jeffrey Pine ◽  
Pine Seedlings

Abstract Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) seeds have large wings and are effectively dispersed by wind, but 37% of the seedling emergence sites in spring 1989 in the Sierra Nevada of western Nevada consisted of tight clumps of seedlings. By fall 1989, 41% of all emergence sites where seedlings survived had resulted from what were originally clumps of seedlings. As Jeffrey pines aged, clumps became smaller, and the frequency of clumps decreased. These seedling clumps and many single seedlings emerged from the scattered caches of seed-hoarding rodents and corvids, and the activities of these animals in the study area were sufficient to account for most of the Jeffrey pine seedling establishment observed. Cached seeds may gain important advantages over uncached seeds in the semiarid habitat occupied by this pine. West. J. Appl. For. 7(1):14-20

Recaching of Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) seeds by yellow pine chipmunks (Tamias amoenus): potential effects on plant reproductive success

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B.Vander Wall ◽  
Jamie W Joyner
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Pinus Jeffreyi ◽  
Nurse Plants ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success ◽  
Jeffrey Pine ◽  
Pine Seedlings ◽  
Tamias Amoenus ◽  
Yellow Pine

Animals that scatter-hoard seeds frequently dig up and recache them at new locations. The effect of the recaching of seeds on plant reproductive success was studied in the Sierra Nevada of western Nevada. The fate of 1000 individually marked Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) seeds initially placed in 100 primary caches in a 10 x 10 array was monitored during autumn 1995 and spring 1996. Yellow pine chipmunks (Tamias amoenus) quickly removed nearly all of the seeds and recached many of them in 377 secondary caches containing 727 seeds. Later, rodents dug up most of these caches and transferred them to 213 tertiary caches (283 seeds), 75 quaternary caches (92 seeds), and 13 quintic (fifth order) caches (13 seeds). Overall, rodents ate 15.3% of the seeds they took from primary through quintic caches, and an additional 71.1% of the seeds disappeared, probably to underground runways and larders. During our spring survey of the study site, 133 seeds (13.6%) from 84 caches had germinated or were about to germinate. As rodents moved seeds from cache site to cache site, several changes occurred that potentially influenced the distribution and survival of Jeffrey pine seedlings. First, the number of seeds per cache decreased. Second, cached seeds were gradually moved farther from the source area. Third, the dispersal distance between successive cache sites decreased. Fourth, the distribution of cached seeds became more even. Lastly, more seeds were cached beneath shrubs, which serve as nurse plants for Jeffrey pine seedlings. Consequently, the movement of seeds between cache sites by chipmunks may increase the probability that Jeffrey pine seedlings will establish from rodent caches.

Roles of weathered bedrock and soil in seasonal water relations of Pinus Jeffreyi and Arctostaphylos patula

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1947-1957 ◽  
Author(s):  
K R Hubbert ◽  
J L Beyers ◽  
R C Graham
Keyword(s):  
Water Potential ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Water Relations ◽  
Soil Water Potential ◽  
Pinus Jeffreyi ◽  
Pressure Potential ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Jeffrey Pine ◽  
Plant Available Water ◽  
Arctostaphylos Patula

In the southern Sierra Nevada, California, relatively thin soils overlie granitic bedrock that is weathered to depths of several metres. The weathered granitic bedrock is porous and has a plant-available water capacity of 0.124 m3·m–3, compared with 0.196 m3·m–3 for the overlying soil. Roots confined within bedrock joint fractures access this rock-held water, especially during late summer when overlying soils are dry. We sought to determine seasonal soil and bedrock water changes in a Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev & Balf.) plantation and to examine concurrent effects on the water relations of Jeffrey pine and greenleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula Greene). In 1996, plant-available water in the 75 cm thick soil was depleted by late June, with soil water potential (ψsoil) <–2.2 MPa, but below 75 cm, bedrock water potential (ψbedrock) was still > –2.2 MPa. Thus, the bedrock, not the soil, supplied water to plants for the remainder of the dry season. Higher values of, and smaller fluctuations in, seasonal predawn pressure potential (ψpredawn) for Jeffrey pine indicated that it is deeply rooted, whereas active roots of greenleaf manzanita were interpreted to be mostly within the upper 100 cm. The extra rooting volume supplied by weathered bedrock is especially important to pine relative to manzanita.

scholarly journals Postplanting Nutritional Augmentation of Jeffrey Pine Seedlings on an Infertile Sierran Site

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Roger F. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Release Formulation ◽  
Mn Toxicity ◽  
N Nutrition ◽  
Jeffrey Pine ◽  
N Source ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Pine Seedlings ◽  
Source Duration

Broadcast fertilization with an array of amendments was investigated for its capacity to stimulate growth and enhance nutrition of a three-year-old Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyiGrev. & Balf.) plantation growing on an acidic Sierra Nevada surface mine. Four formulations that differed in N source, duration of release, and the suite of nutrients provided were evaluated, with each applied using four rates. Free Flow 29-3-4, a conventional amendment featuring urea as its near exclusive N source, and High N 22-4-6, a controlled release formulation containing ammoniacal, nitrate, and urea N, were the most stimulatory while an organic formulation relying exclusively on a municipal biosolid N source, Milorganite 6-2-0, was the least so. The lowest application rates employed were inadequate while the most advantageous was not the highest rate for any formulation. Foliar analysis revealed that improved N nutrition was probably critical in the favorable growth responses to fertilization, that of P was a likely contributor, and amelioration of potential Mn toxicity may have assumed an accessory role.

The effects of passage through the gut of goats and cattle, and the application of dung as a fertiliser on seedling establishment of Dichrostachys cinerea and Acacia nilotica

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Tjelele ◽  
D. Ward ◽  
L. E. Dziba
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Recruitment Rate ◽  
Acacia Nilotica ◽  
Dichrostachys Cinerea ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
And Control ◽  
Wet And Dry Seasons

Seed pods of Dichrostachys cinerea and Acacia nilotica have higher nutritive value than grasses and other browse plants during the dry season and form an important part of the diet of livestock. Seeds of Acacia may be destroyed during passage through the digestive tract of herbivores whereas seeds of other browse species can remain viable even after mechanical (chewing) and chemical (digestive) scarification. The seedling emergence, seedling establishment and recruitment of D. cinerea and A. nilotica seeds, dispersed by cattle and goats, were measured under natural conditions in the wet and dry seasons following sowing in the dry season. Seeds retrieved from goats and cattle, during the first 3 days and the last 4 days of the recovery period, and control seeds were subjected to the following planting methods: (1) seeds placed on top of the soil with no dung, (2) seeds buried to a depth of 2 cm in the soil with no dung, and (3) seeds buried to a depth of 2 cm in the soil with dung, in the wet and dry seasons. Significantly more A. nilotica and D. cinerea seeds were retrieved from cattle (40.0 ± 3.6% and 25.7 ± 3.9%, respectively), than goats (11.7 ± 3.1% and 13.2 ± 3.8%, respectively). There were significant interactions among animal species, seed-recovery day, planting and season for percentage seedling recruitment. Seedlings from seeds retrieved from goats (12.0 ± 0.06%) had a significantly higher recruitment rate than from seeds retrieved from cattle (7.6 ± 0.05%) and control seeds (i.e. no passage through the gut) (4.1 ± 0.02%). Seedling recruitment rate was higher from seeds recovered from animals in the last 4 days of the recovery period and from D. cinerea than A. nilotica. The planting method of seeds buried to a depth of 2 cm in the soil with no dung had the highest seedling recruitment rate. We conclude that both goats and cattle may facilitate woody plant encroachment by enhancing seedling emergence.

An investigation into the possible inhibitory effects of white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla) litter on the germination and growth of associated ground cover species

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Harris ◽  
David Lamb ◽  
Peter D. Erskine
Keyword(s):  
Resource Competition ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Water Holding Capacity ◽  
Pine Seedlings ◽  
Callitris Glaucophylla ◽  
Germination And Growth ◽  
Water Holding ◽  
Cypress Pine

White cypress-pine stands typically support sparse densities of shrubs and grasses. The commonly held opinion is that leaching of allelopathic chemical compounds from cypress-pine litter partly facilitates this exclusion. Germination and growth of cypress pine seedlings do not appear to be similarly affected. This study set out to determine whether cypress litter had a differential effect on germination and growth of cypress-pine seedlings and on associated ground-cover species. Glasshouse trials comparing seedling emergence under cypress- and artificial-litter layers were undertaken. Cypress-pine litter did not have an inhibitory effect on the germination or growth of ground-cover species. In most cases, seedling emergence was facilitated by the application of cypress-pine litter due to its ability to increase the water holding capacity of the underlying soil. Cypress litter did not promote growth of its own seedlings over its competitors except on coarse-textured soils where it provided an ameliorative function to water stress due to the soil's reduced water holding capacity. The inhibition of ground-cover species' germination and growth in pure cypress stands was suggested to be the result of high below-ground resource competition due to the pine's expansive root morphology.

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