Why Engelmann spruce does not have a persistent seed bank

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 872-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.A. Johnson ◽  
G.I. Fryer
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Total Rate ◽  
Rapid Loss ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
Seed Loss ◽  
High Predation ◽  
Persistent Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Persistent Seed Bank

Piceaengelmannii Parry ex Engelm. becomes established after fire by dispersing seeds into a burn, not through the maintenance of a persistent soil seed bank. The objective here was to determine causes of spruce seed loss from the bank to understand its lack of a persistent seed bank. One hundred seeds placed in soil cores were enumerated for 2.5 years and divided into three treatments: (i) varying the amount of protection from predators, (ii) keeping litter intact or removing it, and (iii) placing seeds on top of litter or between litter and mineral soil. For all treatments, fewer than 5% of seeds remained at the end of the study. Predation caused the greatest loss to the seed bank, much greater than germination in all treatments. Removal of litter increased germination, but predation occurred at the same rate; therefore, the total rate of loss to the seed bank increased. Seeds placed between litter and mineral soil experienced greater germination and less predation than seeds placed above the litter layer. However, increased germination balanced the reduced predation so there was little difference in the total rate of loss to the seed bank from seeds placed in either location. Further, seeds appeared to lose viability within two seasons. Thus, there is no persistent seed bank because of high predation and a rapid loss of viability.

Seed persistence in the soil on eroded slopes in the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau region, China

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Wang ◽  
Ju-Ying Jiao ◽  
Yan-Feng Jia ◽  
Dong-Li Wang
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seed Shape ◽  
Plateau Region ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Persistent Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Disturbed Habitats ◽  
Persistent Seed Bank

AbstractThe soil seed-bank is an important component of vegetation dynamics. Its presence affects both ecosystem resistance and resilience. A persistent seed-bank is especially important in disturbed habitats and harsh environments. In the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau region, serious soil erosion causes decreases in soil water capacity and constrains vegetation recolonization. A stable and long-term persistent soil seed-bank is necessary for natural vegetation recolonization. We used an integrated measure of the depth distribution of seeds in the soil and the seasonal dynamics of soil seed-banks to analyse the persistence of seeds in soil and to investigate the correlation of seed longevity with seed size/shape and the species' life history. The results showed a significant tendency for small seeds and seeds of annuals/biennials to persist longer in soil than large seeds and seeds of perennials. However, seed shape was not related to persistence. The main dominant speciesArtemisia scoparia, Lespedeza davurica, Heteropappus altaicus, Stipa bungeana, Artemisia gmelinii, and Bothriochloa ischaemun in the different successional stages in this region can form a persistent and stable soil seed-bank. The pioneer species A. scoparia is especially significant because it can form a large, long-term, persistent seed-bank. These species can play a role in the recolonization of the eroded abandoned slope lands by vegetation.

The role of soil temperature and seed dormancy in the creation and maintenance of persistent seed banks of Nassella trichotoma (serrated tussock) on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Annemieke Ruttledge ◽  
Ralph D. B. Whalley ◽  
Gregory Falzon ◽  
David Backhouse ◽  
Brian M. Sindel
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
New South ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Secondary Dormancy ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Persistent Soil Seed Bank

A large and persistent soil seed bank characterises many important grass weeds, including Nassella trichotoma (Nees) Hack. ex Arechav. (serrated tussock), a major weed in Australia and other countries. In the present study we examined the effects of constant and alternating temperatures in regulating primary and secondary dormancy and the creation and maintenance of its soil seed bank in northern NSW, Australia. One-month-old seeds were stored at 4, 25°C, 40/10°C and 40°C, in a laboratory, and germination tests were conducted every two weeks. Few seeds germinated following storage at 4°C, compared with seeds stored at 25°C, 40/10°C and 40°C. Nylon bags containing freshly harvested seeds were buried among N. trichotoma stands in early summer, and germination tests conducted following exhumation after each season over the next 12 months. Seeds buried over summer and summer plus autumn had higher germination than seeds buried over summer plus autumn plus winter, but germination increased again in the subsequent spring. Seeds stored for zero, three, six and 12 months at laboratory temperatures were placed on a thermogradient plate with 81 temperature combinations, followed by incubation at constant 25°C of un-germinated seeds. Constant high or low temperatures prolonged primary dormancy or induced secondary dormancy whereas alternating temperatures tended to break dormancy. Few temperature combinations resulted in more than 80% germination.

Fire can promote germination, recruitment and seed bank accumulation of the threatened annual grass Arthraxon hispidus

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Laura White ◽  
Claudia Catterall ◽  
Kathryn Taffs
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Plant Recruitment ◽  
Chemical Mechanisms ◽  
Disturbance Regimes ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Persistent Seed Bank

Disturbance plays an important role in plant life history strategies and has been documented as both enhancing and threatening populations of the vulnerable grass Arthraxon hispidus (Thunb.) Makino (hairy jointgrass) on the NSW north coast. Mechanical disturbance (slashing) is often used in A. hispidus conservation management, but many Australian plants are adapted to fire-based disturbance regimes. In this study we undertook a field burning experiment, along with soil seed bank sampling and germination trials, to explore how fire influences A. hispidus population dynamics in terms of plant recruitment and seed bank fluctuations. We found that winter burning strongly promoted A. hispidus spring germination without entirely depleting the residual seedbank. Although drought affected our field study population, burning also led to increased adult cover and substantial seed bank replenishment the following autumn. Exposure to a smoke treatment almost doubled the germination rate of A. hispidus seeds in nursery trials. Our study suggests that appropriate burning regimes can help to maintain this species in the landscape, by both structural and chemical mechanisms, by enhancing plant recruitment and facilitating seed bank accumulation. However, some A. hispidus plants also successfully germinated, established, and reproduced in unburnt plots during our study, suggesting that populations of this species can persist without disturbance in some habitats, such as native wetland communities. We found that A. hispidus has a multi-year seed longevity and a persistent seed bank, providing the species a degree of resilience in the event of unpredictable disturbance regimes and climatic anomalies.

Persistent soil seed bank and standing vegetation at a high alpine site in the central Chilean Andes

Oecologia ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lohengrin A. Cavieres ◽  
Carmen Castor ◽  
Mary T. Kalin Arroyo ◽  
Ana María Humaña
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Standing Vegetation ◽  
Persistent Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Chilean Andes

scholarly journals Seed loss and volunteer seedling establishment of rapeseed in the northernmost European conditions: potential for weed infestation and GM risks

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio ◽  
Katri Pahkala ◽  
Hannu Mikkola ◽  
Lauri Jauhiainen
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Seed Loss ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Substantial Risk ◽  
Weed Infestation

Rapeseed soil seed bank development and volunteer plant establishment represent substantial risk for crop infestation and GM contamination. This study was designed to complement such investigations with novel understanding from high latitude conditions. Four experiments were designed to characterise seed loss at harvest, persistence, viability and capacity for volunteer seedling establishment, as well as impact of management measures on soil seed bank dynamics. Oilseed rape was the primary crop investigated due to the availability of GM cultivars and because of the increasing importance. Harvest losses and soil seed bank development were significant. Volunteer seedlings emerged at reasonably high rates, especially in the first autumn after harvest, but about 10% of buried seeds maintained their viability for at least three years. Soil incorporation methods had no major effect on numbers of volunteer seedlings, but herbicide treatments controlled volunteer seedlings efficiently, though not completely, due to irregular timing of seedling emergence.

scholarly journals Psychotria hoffmansegiana (Willd ex Roem. & Schult.) Mull. Arg. and Palicourea marcagravii st. Hil. (Rubiaceae): potential for forming soil seed banks in a brazilian Cerrado

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
CG. Araújo ◽  
VJM. Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Paulo State ◽  
Soil Storage ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
Persistent Soil Seed Bank

The germinability of artificially buried Psychotria hoffmansegiana and Palicourea marcagravii seeds in Cerrado soil was tested, with the aim of evaluating whether dispersed seeds may be able to form a soil seed bank. The assays were carried out at a Cerrado Reserve in São Paulo State, Brazil. Seed samples were placed in nylon bags and buried at two different depths and in two different sites. Samples were periodically exhumed and germination tests were performed with both exhumed and dry stored seeds. In general, soil storage favoured seed survival and germination when compared to dry stored seeds. The seed germination was little affected by soil depth and by burial environment. Seeds of both species remained viable for at least 13 months, considering the time lapse between the collection and the end of the germination tests. It was suggested that both species can potentially form a persistent soil seed bank in Cerrado.

Seed banks

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anwar Maun
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Perennial Herbs ◽  
Viable Seeds ◽  
One Year ◽  
Persistent Seed Bank

The soil seed bank refers to a reservoir of viable seeds present on the soil surface or buried in the soil. It has the potential to augment or replace adult plants. Such reservoirs have regular inputs and outputs. Outputs are losses of seeds by germination, predation or other causes, while inputs include dispersal of fresh seeds from local sources and immigration from distant sources (Harper 1977). Since sand dunes are dynamic because of erosion, re-arrangement or burial by wind and wave action, efforts to find seed banks have largely been unsuccessful. Following dispersal, seeds accumulate in depressions, in the lee of plants, on sand surfaces, on the base of lee slopes and on the driftline. These seeds are often buried by varying amounts of sand. Buried seeds may subsequently be re-exposed or possibly lost over time. However, the existence of a seed bank can not be denied. Plant species may maintain a transient or a persistent seed bank depending on the longevity of seeds. In species with transient seed banks, all seeds germinate or are lost to other agencies and none is carried over to more than one year. In contrast, in species with a persistent seed bank at least some seeds live for more than one year. The four types of seed banks described by Thompson and Grime (1979) provide useful categories for discussion of coastal seed bank dynamics of different species. Type I species possess a transient seed bank after the maturation and dispersal of their seeds in spring that remain in the seed bank during summer until they germinate in autumn. Type II species possess a transient seed bank during winter but all seeds germinate and colonize vegetation gaps in early spring. Seeds of both types are often but not always dormant and dormancy is usually broken by high temperatures in type I and low temperature in type II. Type III species are annual and perennial herbs in which a certain proportion of seeds enters the persistent seed bank each year, while the remainder germinate soon after dispersal, and Type IV species are annual and perennial herbs and shrubs in which most seeds enter the persistent seed bank and very few germinate after dispersal.

Terrain impacts the composition of the persistent soil seed bank: A case study of steep high mountain grasslands in the Greater Caucasus, Georgia

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-63
Author(s):  
Giorgi Tedoradze ◽  
George Nakhutsrishvili ◽  
Madeleine Seip ◽  
Tim Theissen ◽  
Rainer Waldhardt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Greater Caucasus ◽  
Mountain Grasslands ◽  
Persistent Soil Seed Bank
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