Rapid burial has differential effects on germination and emergence of small- and large-seeded herbaceous plant species

Abstract

2010). Rapid burial has differential effects on germination and emergence of small-and large-seeded herbaceous plant species. AbstractThe dynamics of many plant populations essentially depend upon seed and seedling stages, and a persistent seed bank may give species an opportunity to disperse through time. Seed burial is a decisive prelude to persistence and may strongly influence seed-bank dynamics. The fate of buried seeds depends on species-specific traits, environmental conditions and possibly also burial mode. We tested seed germination, seedling emergence and growth of the co-occurring herbaceous flood-meadow species Arabis nemorensis, Galium wirtgenii, Inula salicina, Sanguisorba officinalis and Selinum carvifolia in response to the experimental manipulation of burial depth (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 cm) and substrate type (sand, clay). Increasing burial depth led to decreased germination, emergence and growth in all species studied, and seedling growth differed significantly between substrate types. The responses of species differed on an individual basis, but also showed a higher-ranking pattern based on seed size. Largerseeded species were able to emerge from greater depths and experienced less depth-mediated growth inhibition than smaller-seeded species, which, in turn, had higher survival rates during burial and were less likely to experience fatal germination. Based on these results, we suggest that herbaceous flood-meadow species have developed two different seed-size based strategies for coping with the extreme recruitment conditions prevailing in flood meadows, the balance of which seems to be maintained by disturbance events.

Soil depth detection by seeds and diurnally fluctuating temperatures: different dynamics in 10 annual plants

“…It can be expected that the activity of soil organisms does change in the depth profile, it is however unlikely that this depth-related-change differs consistently among plant species according to their capacity to detect DFTs. In future experiments, this can be more tightly controlled by comparing seed emergence and mortality in buried seed samples (Burmeier et al 2010a). Nevertheless, we think that predation (including fungi attack) plays only a minor role at the time scale and temperatures of our experiment and that thus most variance in mortality can be attributed to fatal germination.…”

Presentation of the Huseedwild – A Seed Weight and Germination Database of the Pannonian Flora – Through Analysing Life Forms and Social Behaviour Types

“…The larger (heavier) seeds are less dependent on light for germination than smaller (lighter) ones and there is a greater chance of establishment due to their reserved resources (e.g. Leishman and Westoby, 1994;Saverimuttu and Westoby, 1996;Milberg et al, 2000;Burmeier et al, 2010;Pivatto et al, 2014). The heavier seeds of species which develop in shady environment were supported by Csontos (1998) based on comparing relative light demand of 193 Pannonian flora elements.…”

Occasional mouldboard ploughing slows evolution of resistance and reduces long-term weed populations in no-till systems

“…The longevity of buried seeds depends on species-specific traits, environmental conditions and possibly also soil type and burial depth (Burmeier et al, 2010). Deep burial of weed seeds (N 15 cm) increases the survival of many species, with giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) lasting for more than nine years (Harrison et al, 2007), and others surviving after 24 years of burial (Conn and Werdin-Pfisterer, 2010).…”