Persistence and Changes in Morphological Traits of Herbaceous Seeds Due to Burial in Soil

Abstract

Seeds in soil banks can survive for many years before conditions become more suitable for germination. Meanwhile, seeds undergo changes in morphology and viability. In this study, we launched an artificial seed bank experiment that included 26 species of seeds. We excavated cohorts for 6–8 consecutive years after burial (YAB) in order to determine changes in the morphology (mass, volume, density, seed form) and proportion of fresh (thus persistent) seeds using a crush test as a measure of persistence. The change in seed morphology was fitted by linear and logistic regression, and the proportion of persistent seeds was fitted by logistic regression (effectively by the binomial GLM), which enabled estimation of 50 and 5% persistence times (PT50 and PT05). We found that in most species, seed mass, volume and proportion of persistent seeds declined with YAB, while other morphological traits were less variable, and the decline in these traits with YAB was best fitted with logistic regression. The decline in the proportion of persistent seeds was better fitted by the change in mass than by YAB in some species. Among the species included in this study, PT50 ranged from 1.2 to 10.5 years, and PT05 ranged from 2.1 to 24.3 years. These results can contribute to better understanding of the ecology of weed seed bank persistence in soil. Describing the morphological changes that the seeds undergo in the soil bank may improve our understanding of the biology of seed persistence and facilitate the identification of seeds from the soil bank.

Changes in the germinability of seeds of dicotyledonous herbs from anthropogenic and wild habitats during two initial years in a seedbank

“…], drug fumitory [ Fumaria officinalis L.], high mallow [ Malva sylvestris L.], Petasites albus A. Gray, white stonecrop [ Sedum album L.]) or did not pass the seed crush test for estimation of the viability of weed seed (Saska et al 2020) after first winter of burial ( Melampyrum nemorosum L.). Attempts to germinate residues of decayed seeds continued until the end of the 2-yr experiment.…”

The biology of seed discrimination and its role in shaping the foraging ecology of carabids: A review

“…Predation pressure would also be determined by how many seed defensive traits actually match or mismatch with the functional traits of carabid predators with regard to the ability of the carabid to neutralize seed defenses (Ball et al., 2015 ; Quieter et al., 2007 ). This appears crucial because morphological traits of the seed like seed mass, size, and coat hardness undergo considerable physiological changes over time in the soil seed bank, and these changes are likely to affect seed vulnerability to carabid predation (Martinkova et al, 2016; Saska et al., 2019 , 2020 ). For a summary of the different seed traits influential on weed seed vulnerability to carabid predators, see Table 2 .…”

“…et al (2012);Foffova et al (2020);Saska et al (2020) Note: +, indicates a positive effect; −, indicates a negative effect; 0, indicates no documented effect. a Net effects depend on the seed-predator mass-ratio scaling relationship.…”

Which Seed Properties Determine the Preferences of Carabid Beetle Seed Predators?

“…However, the seeds try to resist predators. The defence of seeds against predators is divided into two main groups, morphological and chemical traits, which inevitably interact with each other and influence seed dormancy and persistence in soil [10,11], and in this way influence predation in the long term [12].…”