Seed mass and shape are related to persistence in a sandy soil in northern China

Zhao, Ling‐Ping; Wu, Gao‐Lin; Cheng, Jimin

doi:10.1017/s0960258510000358

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…We found that predicted persistence times were unrelated to any of the morphological traits of the control seeds available, which contradicts the previously published literature data (e.g. [6,7,19,45,47]). Nevertheless, we found that a relative change in seed mass affected the predicted persistence.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

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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.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

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“…Bekker et al (1998a) found that larger seeds and seeds with large surface area to volume ratios tend to be shorter-lived and are not incorporated into the soil as easily as their smaller, rounder counterparts, which fall easily through cracks and are more readily transported by earthworms. A positive relationship between small seed size and longer persistence was also demonstrated in the flora of Britain (Hodkinson et al, 1998), Argentina (Funes et al, 1999), Iran (Thompson et al, 2001) and northern China (Zhao et al, 2011b). Moreover, small rounded seeds may be more resistant to fire, and thereby more persistent in environments where fire frequency is high (Gómez-González et al, 2011).…”

Section: (A) Seed Size and Embryo-endosperm Proportionsmentioning

confidence: 88%

The ecophysiology of seed persistence: a mechanistic view of the journey to germination or demise

et al. 2014

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Seed persistence is the survival of seeds in the environment once they have reached maturity. Seed persistence allows a species, population or genotype to survive long after the death of parent plants, thus distributing genetic diversity through time. The ability to predict seed persistence accurately is critical to inform long-term weed management and flora rehabilitation programs, as well as to allow a greater understanding of plant community dynamics. Indeed, each of the 420000 seed-bearing plant species has a unique set of seed characteristics that determine its propensity to develop a persistent soil seed bank. The duration of seed persistence varies among species and populations, and depends on the physical and physiological characteristics of seeds and how they are affected by the biotic and abiotic environment. An integrated understanding of the ecophysiological mechanisms of seed persistence is essential if we are to improve our ability to predict how long seeds can survive in soils, both now and under future climatic conditions. In this review we present an holistic overview of the seed, species, climate, soil, and other site factors that contribute mechanistically to seed persistence, incorporating physiological, biochemical and ecological perspectives. We focus on current knowledge of the seed and species traits that influence seed longevity under ex situ controlled storage conditions, and explore how this inherent longevity is moderated by changeable biotic and abiotic conditions in situ, both before and after seeds are dispersed. We argue that the persistence of a given seed population in any environment depends on its resistance to exiting the seed bank via germination or death, and on its exposure to environmental conditions that are conducive to those fates. By synthesising knowledge of how the environment affects seeds to determine when and how they leave the soil seed bank into a resistance-exposure model, we provide a new framework for developing experimental and modelling approaches to predict how long seeds will persist in a range of environments.

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“…Mobile dunes, semi-stabilized dunes, and stabilized dunes are distributed over some areas of the steppe. In degraded sandy grasslands, seedlings are vulnerable to desiccation, long periods of drought, high temperatures, and overgrazing (Liu et al, 2007 ; Zhao et al, 2011 ). Seed germination strategies are, in theory, some of the most effective strategies for plants inhabiting arid environments, which are typically characterized by highly variable and unpredictable environment (Philippi, 1993 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogeny, Seed Trait, and Ecological Correlates of Seed Germination at the Community Level in a Degraded Sandy Grassland

Wang

Liu

et al. 2016

Front. Plant Sci.

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Seed germination strongly affects plant population growth and persistence, and it can be dramatically influenced by phylogeny, seed traits, and ecological factors. In this study, we examined the relationships among seed mass, seed shape, and germination percentage (GP), and assessed the extent to which phylogeny, seed traits (seed mass, shape, and color) and ecological factors (ecotype, life form, adult longevity, dispersal type, and onset of flowering) influence GP at the community level. All analyses were conducted on the log-transformed values of seed mass and arcsine square root-transformed values of GP. We found that seed mass and GP were significantly negatively correlated, whereas seed shape and GP were significantly positively correlated. The three major factors contributing to differences in GP were phylogeny, dispersal type, and seed shape (explained 5.8, 4.9, and 3.1% of the interspecific variations independently, respectively), but GP also influenced by seed mass and onset of flowering. Thus, GP was constrained not only by phylogeny but also by seed traits and ecological factors. These results indicated that GP is shaped by short-term selective pressures, and long-term phylogenetic constrains. We suggest that correlates of phylogeny, seed traits, and ecology should be taken into account in comparative studies on seed germination strategies.

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Seed mass and shape are related to persistence in a sandy soil in northern China

Cited by 25 publications

References 21 publications

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

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

The ecophysiology of seed persistence: a mechanistic view of the journey to germination or demise

Phylogeny, Seed Trait, and Ecological Correlates of Seed Germination at the Community Level in a Degraded Sandy Grassland

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