Bruchid seed infestation and development time in three host species of<i>Acacia</i>

Ward, David; Musli, Iris; Or, Keren; Gbenro, Thomas; Skutelsky, Orit

doi:10.1080/09397140.2010.10638446

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…After successful establishment, however, the seedlings are more palatable to camels than the mature plants. The high percentage of infested seeds observed in the present study was consistent with the findings of Ward et al (2010). They reported that 97% of all A. raddiana and A. tortilis seeds sampled were infested with bruchid beetles (Bruchidius).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Existing Status of Acacia Woodlands in Central Saudi Arabia: A Case Study in Hawtat Bani Tamim and Al Duwadmi

Alshahrani¹

2021

IJAB

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Acacia woodlands are ecologically important and it is necessary to understand its structures and dynamics to develop sustainable conservation strategies. This study aimed to provide baseline information on the composition and growth of Acacia woodlands in the Hawtat Bani Tamim and Al Duwadmi regions of central Saudi Arabia. Height, diameter at breast height, crown diameter, seedling density, and soil seed bank content of Acacia tree species were characterized for 27 remote, circular, 0.1-ha plots in both study areas. At Hawtat Bani Tamim, Acacia raddiana, A. tortilis, and A. ehrenbergiana accounted for 45.53, 37.5 and 16.96% of all species present there. Most DBH were in the 6–10 cm class. A. raddiana was the main species in most diameter classes. Most trees were 4.1–5.0 m tall and A. raddiana predominated in this height class. Acacia ehrenbergiana had 92.63% damaged seeds. At Al Duwadmi, A. raddiana represented 78.99% of all Acacia trees there. A. gerrardii and A. tortilis accounted for 11.93 and 9.07% of the species there, respectively. Most of the DBH values were in the 6–10 cm and 11–15 cm classes, and A. tortilis and A. raddiana were abundant in both classes. Most trees were in the 4.1–5 m height class, which was dominated by A. raddiana. A. ehrenbergiana had 88.26% damaged seeds. In both areas, there was a gradual decline in the number of trees in DBH classes > 35 cm. The Acacia species in the two areas showed a fair regeneration status. There were more seedlings than saplings and fewer saplings than trees. This baseline study could contribute towards future sustainability planning initiatives after other assessment studies have been conducted to identify changes in the Acacia woodlands of this region. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Existing Status of Acacia Woodlands in Central Saudi Arabia: A Case Study in Hawtat Bani Tamim and Al Duwadmi

Alshahrani¹

2021

IJAB

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“…There is a tendency for more dry pods on the ground to be infested than those in the canopy, suggesting that seeds are reinfested on the ground (Miller ; Or and Ward ; Ward et al. ). Some unripe, but already infested seeds in our material indicate early infestation (Ernst et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Larval infestation by bruchid beetles seriously threatens the presence of viable seeds because larvae destroy very many seeds (Janzen ; Halevy ; Miller ; Rohner and Ward ; Or and Ward ; Ward et al. ). However, large mammalian herbivores mitigate risk (by dispersal) and negative effects (by ingestion) of infestation, and hence positively affect seed viability and germination (summarized by Or and Ward ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed viability and germination success of Acacia tortilis along land‐use and aridity gradients in the Eastern Sahara

Andersen

Krzywinski

Gjessing

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Our study focuses on the keystone species Acacia tortilis and is the first to investigate the effect of domestic ungulates and aridity on seed viability and germination over an extensive part of the Eastern Sahara. Bruchids infest its seeds and reduce their viability and germination, but ingestion by ruminant herbivores diminishes infestation levels and enhances/promotes seed viability and germination. The degree of these effects seems to be correlated with animal body mass. Significantly reduced numbers of wild ruminant ungulates have increased the potential importance of domestic animals and pastoral nomadism for the functionality of arid North African and Middle Eastern ecosystems. We sampled seeds (16,543) from A. tortilis in eight areas in three regions with different aridity and land use. We tested the effect of geography and sampling context on seed infestation using random effects logistic regressions. We did a randomized and balanced germination experiment including 1193 seeds, treated with different manure. Germination time and rates across geography, sampling context, and infestation status were analyzed using time‐to‐event analyses, Kaplan–Meier curves and proportional hazards Cox regressions. Bruchid infestation is very high (80%), and the effects of context are significant. Neither partial infestation nor adding manure had a positive effect on germination. There is a strong indication that intact, uningested seeds from acacia populations in the extremely arid Western Desert germinate more slowly and have a higher fraction of hard seeds than in the Eastern Desert and the Red Sea Hills. For ingested seeds in the pastoralist areas we find that intact seeds from goat dung germinate significantly better than those from camel dung. This is contrary to the expected body‐mass effect. There is no effect of site or variation in tribal management.

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“…Although tree seedling establishment at Site 1 was not affected by thinning, the results suggest that causal factors are perhaps complex and site specific. Site 1 factors over-riding the 'grass suppression of seedlings hypothesis' could be related to undetermined factors such as the predation of V. tortilis seeds by insects and a possible reduction in the soil seed bank (Jiao et al 2009;Ward et al 2010). V. tortilis seeds are known to be highly infested by seed-predating insects, particularly bruchid beetles, which reduces the natural regeneration of these plants (Ward et al 2010).…”

Section: The Effects Of Tree Removal On Tree Seedling Establishment A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of tree removal on standing grass biomass, seedling establishment and growth of woody species

et al. 2022

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The removal of trees in rangelands can create gaps and lead to increased grass production that could suppress subsequent tree seedling establishment and growth. However, gaps can also enhance the growth of remaining trees. We conducted a field experiment at two savanna sites with different soil texture and woody species. We used 24 plots at each site to determine the effect of tree-removal intensities (0%, 10%, 20%, 50%, 75% and 100%) on grass production, tree-seedling establishment and growth, and growth of the remaining large trees. Site 1 was on previously cultivated severely-eroded clay-dominated soils, encroached by a monospecific stand of Vachellia tortilis. Site 2 had never been cultivated, and was on sandy soils with several woody species. At Site 1, 75 and 100% tree removal significantly reduced standing grass biomass towards the end of the first growing season, with no differences towards the end of the second season. At Site 2, tree removal significantly increased standing grass biomass. There was no significant effect of tree removal on tree seedling establishment at Site 1, but at Site 2 tree removal had a significantly negative effect on overall tree seedling establishment. At both sites, there were no significant differences in tree seedling growth. Moderate (50%) to high (75%) removal of trees had a positive effect on the growth of remaining large trees at both study sites. We found that tree seedling establishment could be affected by the level of grass biomass following tree removal, but other factors including soil erosion are also important considerations. Reduced tree competition facilitates growth of remaining large trees. An implication of these findings is that, regardless of the substantial costs of woody plant control, the recovery of key ecosystem services such as an increased forage production may not be realised. However, we recognise that this may be system-specific.

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Bruchid seed infestation and development time in three host species ofAcacia

Cited by 4 publications

References 25 publications

Existing Status of Acacia Woodlands in Central Saudi Arabia: A Case Study in Hawtat Bani Tamim and Al Duwadmi

Existing Status of Acacia Woodlands in Central Saudi Arabia: A Case Study in Hawtat Bani Tamim and Al Duwadmi

Seed viability and germination success of Acacia tortilis along land‐use and aridity gradients in the Eastern Sahara

The impact of tree removal on standing grass biomass, seedling establishment and growth of woody species

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