The data suggest that the endospermic seeds of early angiosperms which evolved in forest understorey habitats are short-lived. Extended longevity presumably evolved as a response to climatic change or the invasion of drier areas. The apparent short-lived nature of endospermic seeds from cool wet environments may have implications for re-collection and re-testing strategies in ex situ conservation.

Experimental approaches to understanding seed germination behaviour are constantly being refined. One of the features of seed biology research during the last decade or so has been a much greater integration of laboratory and field-based studies than hitherto. Such approaches have improved the interpretation of data in an ecological context and thus our understanding of the role of temperature in the timing of germination in natural seed populations. This chapter highlights these recent advances.

The importance of wild plant diversity for future food security, human health and ecosystem function and repair is generally accepted. Seed banking is widely used to safeguard wild species and research into the complexity of seed behaviour has led to changes in how seeds of wild species are handled in genebanks.

Seeds of alpine plants are short lived in storage compared with those from lowland populations/related taxa. The lower resistance to ageing in seeds of alpine plants may arise from low selection pressure for seed resistance to ageing and/or damage incurred during seed development due to the cool wet conditions of the alpine climate. Long-term seed conservation of several alpine species using conventional seed banking methods will be problematic.

Climate warming will lead to a shift from spring to autumn emergence but the extent of this change across species will be driven by seed dormancy status. Ungerminated seeds at the end of autumn will be exposed to shorter winter seasons and lower spring temperatures in a future, warmer climate, but these changes will only have a minor impact on germination. The extent to which climate change will be detrimental to regeneration from seed is less likely to be due to a significant negative effect on germination per se, but rather to seedling emergence in seasons that the species are not adapted to experience. Emergence in autumn could have major implications for species currently adapted to emerge in spring.