The germination niches of grassland species targeted for restoration: effects of seed pre-treatments

Wagner, Markus; Pywell, Richard F.; Knopp, Tatjana; Bullock, James M.; Heard, Matthew S.

doi:10.1017/s0960258510000450

Cited by 42 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…However, current seeding success is typically <10% (Chambers ; James, Svejcar & Rinella ; Wagner et al . ). This failure has been associated with four stages and processes of recruitment: (i) seed dormancy, (ii) germination, (iii) emergence and (iv) plant survival (Merritt et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Increasing the germination envelope under water stress improves seedling emergence in two dominant grass species across different pulse rainfall events

Lewandrowski

Erickson

Dixon

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary Demographic recruitment processes, such as seed germination and seedling emergence, are critical transitional phases to the re‐establishment of degraded plant populations, but often fail due to rainfall not supporting plant requirements. Using species from the widespread arid Australian perennial grass genus Triodia, we investigated the interactions of seeds in different dormancy states and their functional germination envelope in response to water stress after simulated pulse rainfall events. Seed dormancy was alleviated in Triodia species to varying degrees by wet/dry cycling or by removing floret structures from seeds. The seeds were then exposed to different rainfall frequency and quantity events mimicking the 25th, median, 75th and 95th percentile rainfall events found in natural habitats for the study species in the north‐west Australian arid zone. Under 95th percentile rainfall conditions recruitment was highest, but still limited to 35% germination and 10% emergence of cleaned seeds (i.e. the least dormant state evaluated). This was related to the functional germination envelope as indicated by more negative base water potential thresholds (Ψb50) for cleaned seeds (≥ −0·33 MPa) compared to intact florets (≥ −0·26 MPa). As a result, the maximum cumulative time where soil water potentials were optimal for germination (Ψsoil ≥ Ψb50) was 1·6–2·6 times longer for cleaned seeds in large frequent rainfall events when compared to intact florets. Furthermore, seed dormancy, that usually prolongs seed survival, was linked to a short‐term reduction in seed viability, which may further reduce recruitment rates. Synthesis and applications. Our findings indicate that large frequent rainfall events raised soil water potentials above critical thresholds for germination and are important for successful plant establishment. If recruitment bottlenecks are a result of seed dormancy and variable rainfall for arid grass species, then this study shows benefits for alleviating seed dormancy prior to seeding in restoration sites, as this increases the environmental envelope for germination.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Increasing the germination envelope under water stress improves seedling emergence in two dominant grass species across different pulse rainfall events

Lewandrowski

Erickson

Dixon

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…17 More attention has been paid to the indirect effects of changes in precipitation patterns on grassland seed banks. First, germination in response to soil moisture is species-specific, [20][21][22] with moisture affecting both the percentage and speed of germination 20 or having a weak effect buffered by soil type. 22 Second, changes in rainfall might modify the soil microbial community, which is the primary cause of seed death for some grassland species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Severe effects of long-term drought on calcareous grassland seed banks

et al. 2018

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Climate change models project shifts in precipitation patterns at regional and global scales. Increases in dry areas and the occurrence of drought predicted in future scenarios are likely to threaten grassland ecosystems. Calcareous grassland seed banks have proven to be resistant to short-term drought, but their responses to long-term drought are unknown. Here we show that 14 years of summer drought changed calcareous grassland seed bank composition, reducing its size and richness, and that these responses do not simply reflect patterns in the above-ground vegetation. Moreover, the effect of drought was larger on seed banks than on vegetation, and above-ground responses mediated by soil depth were less evident in the seed bank than in the vegetation. These results demonstrate that the severity of drought effects on calcareous grasslands is larger than previously thought, and show that this ecosystem is highly vulnerable and has low resilience to predicted decreases in soil moisture.

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“…Similar efforts are already underway for species from other habitats such as e.g. semi-natural grassland (Wagner et al 2011). …”

Section: Re-introduction Of Rare Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management options for the conservation of rare arable plants in Europe

et al. 2016

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The germination niches of grassland species targeted for restoration: effects of seed pre-treatments

Cited by 42 publications

References 59 publications

Increasing the germination envelope under water stress improves seedling emergence in two dominant grass species across different pulse rainfall events

Increasing the germination envelope under water stress improves seedling emergence in two dominant grass species across different pulse rainfall events

Severe effects of long-term drought on calcareous grassland seed banks

Management options for the conservation of rare arable plants in Europe

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