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1.
The purpose of our study was to better understand seed germination ecology of the spring annual short-lived Olimarabidopsis pumila, which grows in the Gurbantonggut Desert, China. Seeds underwent after-ripening at 4, 20 ± 2 (room temperature) and 30 °C. After dormancy was broken, germination capacity was a function of temperature and presence of light. For the temperature range studied (4–30 °C), germination capacity was significantly higher between 15 and 25 °C than at temperatures above or below them. Alternating temperatures of 20/10, 25/10 and 25/15 °C were favorable for germination. Although GA3 did promote dark germination of seeds, GA3 did not replace light for germination. Seeds germinated to >75% if light exposure time was over 8 h and temperature and moisture conditions were favorable. Seeds were able to germinate at relatively low water potentials (83% at ?0.41 MPa), but decreasing water potentials produced detrimental effects on germination percentage and rate. Thus, dormancy characteristics and germination behavior of O. pumila seeds ensure that germination occurs in the desert only when soil moisture conditions are favorable for seedling establishment and survival.  相似文献   

2.
Corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) diets often consist of small quantities of vegetation, including fruit and seeds that may represent important sources of energy and nutrition. However, details of the species consumed are few, but may provide insight into the role of foxes as seed dispersers. We analyzed scats of corsac (n = 408) and red foxes (n = 533) collected in an arid region of Mongolia from June 2006 to June 2007. We found 13 seed species in corsac scats, the most common being Allium polyrhizum, Asparagus gobicus, and Tribulus terrestris, and 12 species in red fox scats, the most common being Amygdalus pedunculata, Corispermum mongolicum, and T. terrestris. The proportion of scats with seeds varied significantly by season for both foxes. Seeds occurred most frequently during the breeding period, which corresponded with winter, and least frequently during the dispersal period in autumn for both species. We detected no differences in the proportion of scats with seeds between species seasonally. Our results suggest that fruit represents an important component of diet, especially during winter when availability of other prey items is low, and that both foxes may facilitate seed dispersal of some plant species.  相似文献   

3.
We studied in Opuntia tomentosa the effect of plant shade (orientation and distance), and the place where the seeds remained before germination. Seeds were collected in 1998 and a) sown immediately on soil (non-buried seeds), b) stored in the laboratory and sown on soil during the 1999 rainy season (control) or c) buried after collection (under the shade of a tree, a rock and in an open space), exhumed 7 months later and sown in 1999 (exhumed seeds). Seeds were sown under or outside the shade of several trees; or on the northern, eastern and western sides of a 14-m-tall tree. In 1999, germination was high in all samples, but the control seeds had delayed germination. After two rainy seasons, non-buried seeds had the lowest germination rate. Germination was not affected by the distance from the tree. Outside of the plant's shade, germination was low. Germination was affected more by the environmental heterogeneity than by the individual plant shade. Germination probabilities were the highest at 16–19 °C; field germination was zero at 20.6 °C. Seed polymorphism and microenvironmental heterogeneity spread germination across two rainy seasons creating a permanent seed bank.  相似文献   

4.
Opuntia tomentosa seeds have physiological dormancy and a permeable but hard funicular envelope that restricts water uptake and embryo growth. Dormancy break, germination, and changes in the funiculus were compared in laboratory-stored seeds and in those buried for 7 months at different microsites and later exhumed and stored in the laboratory. The funicular envelopes of both lots were examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Seeds in both lots were: scarified with H2SO4 (0, 45, 60 and 90 min), treated with gibberellins (0, 1000 and 2000 ppm) and germinated at the same ages (0, 2, 4, 7, and 10 months after exhumation) at 24 °C. Light effect was determined at 24 °C and 20–35 °C. In laboratory-stored seeds germination was low. Exhumed seeds germinated in ～50%, the remaining ones required scarification and gibberellins, but lost dormancy two months later. Gibberellins reduced germination heterogeneity, and scarification reduced germination; the adverse effect of scarification was offset by gibberellins. Exhumed seeds germinated mainly in darkness at 20–35 °C and partially in far red light at both temperatures. SEM showed that fungi eroded the funiculus reducing its resistance. O. tomentosa could form a seed bank, ensuring its survival under heterogeneous environments.  相似文献   

5.
Tiny cryptanthe (Cryptantha minima Rydb.) is an endangered annual plant adapted to prairie sand dunes of Canada. Thermal time and hydrothermal time models were used to quantify the effect of temperature and water potential on seed germination and to relate it to field conditions. Tiny cryptanthe seeds had a base temperature of ?3.9 °C for germination. Final germination percentage was highest at temperatures near the freezing point. Seeds required approximately 130.6 °C d to reach 50% germination under optimal water conditions. Seed germination was sensitive to water stress and large seeds had lower germination than small ones especially at reduced water potentials and higher temperatures. The high potential germination and low seed dormancy indicate that tiny cryptanthe lacks a dormancy mechanism, but the unique germination response to temperature enables it to fully utilize water from spring snowmelt before drought in the summer. Future climate change with higher temperatures could reduce regeneration success of this species unless there is an associated increase in winter and spring precipitation.  相似文献   

6.
We researched the soil seed bank dynamics of Thymus funkii subsp. funkii, a gypsovag shrub endemic to the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, to determine possible reasons for low recruitment in isolated populations growing on crusted gypsum soils. Recruitment-restriction hypotheses involving main factors in the seed bank dynamics were analysed, and a diagrammatic dynamics model drafted from a population perspective. Viable seed production averaged 362 per plant. Seed shadows resulting from primary dispersal were concentrated under the mother plant. There were two thyme-seed predators: coleopteran larvae (pre-dispersal phase) and Messor bouvieri ants (pre- and post-dispersal phases), which predated 16.4% and 3.8% of population yield, respectively. However, ants may simultaneously contribute to the spatial secondary dispersal, since they lost a small fraction of seeds they harvested. Seeds showed innate physiological dormancy to high summer temperatures, although this disappeared rapidly. The response of germination to other temperature × light conditions was wide and rapid. No permanent seed bank was detected in the soil. Seeds buried in the upper soil layer (2 cm) germinated highly and fast. In contrast, a significant fraction of seeds buried deeply (8 cm) remained viable for over one year. Germination in the field accounted for only 1.0% of the seed output, and seed death due to pathogen attack and aging was also low (3.0%). Seedling emergence was confined to autumn and showed a high correlation with total plant cover, irrespective of plant species. Seedling survival was very low. The small spatial correspondence between primary dispersal and seedling emergence patterns may reflect the importance of secondary dispersal in T. funkii seed bank dynamics. Hypotheses and consequences of such horizontal seed movements for conservation management are discussed.  相似文献   

7.
We studied current recruitment failure of Dobera glabra, an important famine-food throughout the dryland parts of the Horn of Africa. The species has previously been found to have recalcitrant seeds, a strategy not common for plants in dryland areas. We experimentally tested (1) how germination capacity of D. glabra is affected by seed form, storage period and moisture under nursery conditions, and (2) how seed predation by vertebrate herbivore and seed exposure at germination site affect germination under field conditions in northern Afar rangelands, Ethiopia. D. glabra seeds that received either mulching or supplementary watering (3 days/week) had a higher germination success than controls. The seeds are probably desiccation sensitive since stored seeds had poor germination performance compared to fresh seeds. Seeds in the rangeland plots protected from herbivores had significantly higher germination success compared to open plots. Our findings demonstrate that seed predation and moisture limitation highly reduced the germinability of the recalcitrant D. glabra seeds, indicating that the species might have persisted due to past wetter periods and low herbivore density in dry environments.  相似文献   

8.
Laboratory experiments were conduced to assess the synergic effect of chilling and light on photosystem II photochemistry of the halophyte, Sarcocornia fruticosa, grown at different salinity concentrations (0, 170, 340, 510 and 1030 mM). Chlorophyll fluorescence was measured after chilling (at 5 °C in darkness) and light-chilling (at 5 °C and 700 μmol m?2 s?1) treatments, and after 24 h of recovery (at 20 °C and 75 μmol m?2 s?1). At 5 °C and 700 μmol m?2 s?1, plants grown with 0 and 170 mM NaCl showed the lowest Fv/Fm values, whereas quantum efficiency of PSII (ΦPSII) was higher for plants grown at 170 and 340 mM NaCl, these results being consistent after two exposures to chilling treatments. Susceptibility to photoinhibition decreases when low temperature and high light are combined with high salinity. Therefore, populations of S. fruticosa that occur in arid environments with salinities c. 340 mM could show a higher tolerance to light-chilling.  相似文献   

9.
Seeds of many arid habitat plants have a water-impermeable coat and can germinate only after being scarified. Bruchine seed beetles are important parasites of legume seeds in these environments, but their effect on germination can be unpredictable. Beetles deplete seed resources and can kill the embryo but also scarify seeds. We investigated the effects of a generalist parasite, Stator limbatus, on the germination and growth of two common legumes in the Sonoran desert, catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii) and blue paloverde (Parkinsonia florida). Feeding damage from a single larva greatly increased germination of paloverde but not acacia. This benefit was reduced if seeds were attacked by multiple larvae. Beetle-damaged seeds of both hosts germinated more quickly than did control seeds. Infestation by beetles reduced seedling size, though effects were greater for paloverde than for acacia. Our results demonstrate that the effect of S. limbatus can be highly host-specific. In addition, beetle infestation may enhance or reduce seedling recruitment, depending on the availability of other scarifying agents and the number of larvae per seed. Such contingencies make it difficult to predict the net effect of seed beetles on efforts to control invasive legume hosts or establish native hosts during aridland restoration.  相似文献   

10.
In arid environments, soil fertility exhibits a high degree of spatial and temporal heterogeneity, which results from high climatic variability seasonally and heterogeneous plant distribution. However, because most desert areas have been altered by human activities, heterogeneous fertility would originate from grazing or logging activities. We evaluated spatial and temporal heterogeneity of soil fertility in cattle-excluded sites under and outside woody plant cover (Prosopis flexuosa and Larrea divaricata), and in sites disturbed by tree removal during wet and dry season in Ñacuñán Biosphere Reserve (Central Monte desert of Argentina). Soil organic matter, fulvic acids, bioavailable organic matter, and nitrate were lower outside plant canopy (8.9 mg g?1, 0.03 mg g?1, 8.2 mg g?1, and 4.17 mg kg?1, respectively). Total N, humic acids, and abundance of microbial functional groups did not show differences among sites. Most parameters differed between seasons, tending to be higher in the wet season. Overall soils of Ñacuñán Reserve are characterized by: a) more homogenous spatial pattern than expected from woody plant presence; b) very heterogeneous temporal pattern; and c) after two years, tree removal does not seem to induce infertile soil formation.  相似文献   

11.
Vegetation within some parts of Western Australia has been degraded by resource extraction, and ecological restoration is necessary to prevent erosion and reinstate plant biodiversity. Two restoration approaches, seed broadcasting and planting of seedlings, were tested with plant species (Acacia tetragonophylla F. Muell., Atriplex bunburyana F. Muell. and Solanum orbiculatum Poir.) known to have been dominant prior to mining activities in the World Heritage Area at Shark Bay. For broadcast seeding, soil raking and/or ripping increased seedling emergence, but only after sufficient rainfall. Survival of A. bunburyana seedlings (≤92%) was higher than A. tetragonophylla (≤13%) almost two years after planting and soil ripping partly alleviated soil impedance and resulted in increased seedling survival. Shoot pruning, fertiliser and moisture retaining gel had a reduced or detrimental effect on survival. Seedling survival differed between the three experimental sites, with electrical conductivity being the most noted soil difference between the sites. Restoration in the arid environs of the World Heritage Area at Shark Bay in Western Australia is challenging, but this study shows that seedling establishment is technically feasible and provides methodology useful to other arid restoration projects.  相似文献   

12.
Populations of the winter annual Eruca sativa in Israel are distributed along a climatic gradient, from Mediterranean mesic habitats in the north to semi-arid and arid habitats in the south. Seed cohorts of five populations sampled across the gradient were produced in a common-garden experiment, and their germination was tested under continuous light or darkness at 5–35 °C, as well as with alternating 30/20 and 25/15 °C temperatures under a 12/12 h photoperiod. Germination was enhanced by light and by increasing temperature. Under constant temperatures maximal germination of arid and semi-arid populations was lower than in the mesic populations, suggesting on higher levels of primary dormancy with increasing aridity. Seeds that did not germinate in darkness or at low temperatures in light, germinated almost fully when exposed to GA3 at 25 °C, indicating that imbibition under less favorable conditions induces secondary dormancy in E. sativa. Daily alternating temperatures did not affect or even reduced seed germination compared to constant 25 and 30 °C in continuous light. Exposure of dry seeds to 30 °C before imbibition increased germination to ≥80% in seed cohorts of all populations. These responses to light and temperature indicate that adaptation of E. sativa to the Mediterranean environment is associated with the ability to germinate under the relatively warm autumn temperatures, and is enhanced by exposure to high temperature during the dry summer.  相似文献   

13.
The germination behaviour of five Helianthemum species (H. almeriense, H. appeninum, H. cinereum, H. hirtum, H. squamatum) has been studied under controlled conditions. Constant 15, 20 or 25 °C and alternating 25/15 °C temperature regimes and 16/8 h light/dark photoperiod conditions were used. Presowing treatments applied were manual scarification, boiling water, hot water, dry heat and sulphuric acid. Germination values recorded were final germination percentage and germination rate expressed as days to reach 50% of the final germination percentage (T50). Incubation temperature had no significant effect on final germination percentage for untreated seeds of the five Helianthemum species. However, variation due to temperature was significant for scarified seeds, with the lowest germination percentage attained at 25 °C. In all Helianthemum species studied, the highest germination percentages were obtained by manual scarification of seeds. Germination rate of scarified seeds decreased as germination temperature increased. The different presowing treatments investigated allowed some germination in some species, but none were any better than manual scarification. The high germination among most species studied, following mechanical rupture of the seed coat, shows that the mechanism of dormancy lies in the seed coat. The physical dormancy caused by impermeable seed-coat appears to be the main reason of poor germination of untreated seeds of Helianthemum species studied.  相似文献   

14.
The perennial saltgrass nipa (Distichlis palmeri, Poaceae) is endemic to northern Gulf of California tidal marshes flooded with hypersaline (38–42 g L−1) seawater. Nipa was a wild harvest staple of the Cocopah people of the Río Colorado delta. We investigated the physiology, anatomy, chromosome number, and agronomic potential of nipa as a global food crop. Nipa seeds had 60–93% germination on salinities ranging from 0 to 30 g L−1. Relative Growth Rates (RGR) on both flooded and aerobic conditions remained above 4% d−1 up to 30 g L−1, about half the RGR on freshwater. Nipa grain (caryopses) had 7–8% protein, 8% sugar and 79% total digestible carbohydrates (mostly starch) and only 2% ash and 8% fiber, equal to conventional grains in apparent nutritional value. Shoots were low in ash and sodium, and compared favorably to alfalfa forage in protein, digestible carbohydrates and energy contents. Mature female stands in the Colorado River delta produced an estimated 1.25 t ha−1 of grain, but over two years in the greenhouse only partial flowering was observed. Nevertheless, D. palmeri appears to be worth developing as a perennial grain and forage crop, especially for salinized, flooded soils.  相似文献   

15.
Cyperus capitatus Vandelli (Cyperaceae) is distributed in coastal sandy habitats and mobile dunes of south Europe. Its seed germination ecology is not known, despite its potential to be used in re-vegetation projects. Laboratory experiments were conduced to assess the effects of salinity, light regime, cold stratification and burial on seed germination of this species. Overall, increasing salinity delayed germination, increased seed dormancy and mean time to germination (MTG), and reduced final germination percentage, inhibiting it completely above 1% of salinity; although it did not affect seed viability. C. capitatus seeds exhibited their greatest germination at levels between 0 and 1% in non-stratified seeds, and between 0 and 0.5% for stratified seeds. Thus, the effect of salt was greater for stratified seeds at 5 °C. Germination in light/darkness conditions was similar to that in full darkness. Finally, burial in sand of C. capitatus seeds appeared to have a significant effect on cumulative percentage of germination. Seeds buried at depths greater than 2 and 3 cm showed a lower germination success than those on sand surface or buried at shallower depths. Burial also affected the beginning and speed of seed germination.  相似文献   

16.
Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is a charismatic symbol of the Mojave Desert. Despite its familiarity, we know little about the reproduction of this species, including mechanisms of seed dispersal. Here we examine mechanisms of seed dispersal and resulting seed fate. We experimentally tracked fruit and seed removal and followed the fates of Joshua tree seeds using radioactive tracers. The majority of Joshua tree fruits monitored were taken directly from the tree canopy by white-tailed antelope squirrels, and seeds and fruits on the soil surface were quickly removed by animals. Rodents given seeds labeled with scandium-46 cached them between 0.1 cm and 4.1 cm deep. Seedling emergence was most common for seeds planted 1 cm deep, whereas seeds placed on the soil surface seldom germinated. Wind dispersal is unlikely because fruits and seeds lack adaptations for wind dispersal; wind speeds required to move Joshua tree seeds and fruits across the soil surface were higher than those typically found in the Mojave Desert. Further, rodents removed most seeds before abiotic burial was possible. We conclude that most Joshua tree seeds are dispersed by scatter hoarding by rodents, and that caches made by rodents are suitable sites for seedling emergence.  相似文献   

17.
Regions with Mediterranean climates are seasonally arid and provide a niche for ephemeral species which germinate following discrete and variable rainfall during summer. These species must be able to detect when conditions are suitable for completion of their life cycle. Common heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum) is one such species. It is considered a weed in its naturalised habitat in southern Australia as it uses resources that could be used by ensuing crops, and is toxic to livestock.We examined common heliotrope's germination responses to temperature and water potential, the effect of simulated rainfall on seedling emergence and plant growth in lysimeters.Fresh seeds of common heliotrope have relatively high optimum temperatures and water potentials for germination (around 35 °C and 0 MPa). Germination percentage of seeds extracted from the soil seed bank varies seasonally. In the soil types and climate of the study area, 24.2 mm is the minimum amount of rainfall resulting in emergence. Evapotranspiration required to reach minimal reproductive output was 19.4 mm.Common heliotrope's germination requirements have been selected to ensure that it will only germinate after sufficient rainfall to allow reproductive output. This is the mechanism through which common heliotrope detects its temporal niche.  相似文献   

18.
Soils of arid regions of Central Asia contain salts of different types that may differentially affect seed germination and plant development. We studied effect of NaCl, Na2SO4, 2NaCl + KCl + CaCl2 and 2Na2SO4+K2SO4+MgSO4 on germination of Kochia prostrata and Kochia scoparia seeds under a range of concentrations from 0.5 to 5% and at two constant temperature regimes +22 °C and +6 °C. The observed salt tolerance limit of germination at constant temperature +22 °C for both species was 5-6%, while at low temperature (+6 °C) this limit was 2%. The salt tolerance of young plants (before flowering) was 3% for NaCl. Low concentrations of sulfuric and mixed salts had a stimulating effect on seed germination in K. prostrata. Despite similarity of salt-tolerance limits the studied species showed a significant difference in seed recovery ability, i.e. the ability of ungerminated, salt-soaked seeds to germinate after transfer to fresh water. K. scoparia demonstrated a full germination recovery after seed transfer to distilled water while K. prostrata showed only a partial recovery.  相似文献   

19.
Allometric equations and community biomass stocks are presented for Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel (Gs) and Piliostigma reticulatum (DC.) Hochst (Pr) – two native shrub species in the Sahel. These shrubs are of interest because they dominate semi-arid sub-Sahalien Africa but have been largely overlooked as a key biomass component and regulator of ecosystem composition and function in this landscape. In Year 1, best predictors of aboveground biomass were height and number of stems (Gs) and crown diameter (Pr); and for belowground biomass were height and basal diameter (Gs) and basal diameter (Pr). In Year 2, height and crown diameter were the best predictors of aboveground biomass (R2 = 0.90 for Gs and 0.87 for Pr), whereas basal diameter and number of stems (Gs) and basal diameter (Pr) were best predictors of belowground biomass. Peak-season biomass estimates ranged from 0.44 to 4.58 ton ha?1 (mean = 2.38 ton ha?1) in the Gs sites and from 0.33 to 7.38 ton ha?1 (mean = 3.71 ton ha?1) in the Pr communities. Both species exhibited unusually large root:shoot ratios (4.5:1 for Gs and 10.2:1 for Pr). Although models differ between years, allometric relationships provide reasonable biomass estimates for Gs and Pr.  相似文献   

20.
Increasing wildfire activity is one of the most pressing management concerns in arid lands of the American West. To examine post-fire recovery of perennial vegetation in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, I analyzed data systematically synthesized from the literature. Post-fire sprouting by desert perennials is generally limited but varies among species. For example, only 3–37% of Larrea tridentata sprouted compared to 64–86% of Yucca schidigera. Four of five studies measuring recovery of perennial cover reported close relationships (r2 = 0.67–0.99) between time since fire (TSF) and cover. In fact, three studies measuring the longest TSF (≥37 years) found that cover had returned to within 10% cover of unburned areas within approximately 40 years. Conversely, post-fire species composition exhibited little convergence with unburned composition in five of six studies even 47 years after fire. Sphaeralcea ambigua, Gutierrezia spp., Achnatherum speciosum, Encelia spp., Hymenoclea salsola, and Baileya multiradiata had the highest burned:unburned abundance ratios, although overall post-fire community composition differed between the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Analyzing the literature as a whole suggested some generalities (e.g., that perennial cover reestablishes faster than composition), but more work is required for improving specific knowledge about plant recovery among fires, sites, species, and climates.  相似文献   

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