Linking plant spatial aggregation with reproductive traits and near-source seed dispersal: ecological adaptation to heavy grazing

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-498
Author(s):  
Wenting Liu ◽  
Shixian Sun ◽  
Chunping Zhang ◽  
Shijie Lv ◽  
Quanmin Dong
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Heavy Grazing ◽  
Bare Land ◽  
Reproductive Individual

Abstract Aims Ecological strategies related to the adaptation of plants to environmental stress have long been studied by ecologists, but few studies have systematically revealed the ecological process of plant adaptation to herbivores as a whole. Methods In this study, Stipa breviflora, the dominant species in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, was used to analyse its reproductive individual characteristics and seed traits as well as the soil seed bank and spatial patterns under heavy-grazing and no-grazing treatments. Important Findings The results showed that the number of reproductive branches positively affected the number of vegetative branches. The analysis of the soil seed bank showed that the density of S. breviflora seeds beneath reproductive S. breviflora individuals was significantly higher than that in bare land. The seed density was also significantly negatively correlated with the seed characteristics and the soil seed bank in bare land. The spatial distribution of S. breviflora was aggregated under heavy grazing. Our results suggest that under heavy grazing, reproductive activity plays a key role in resource allocation. Stipa breviflora evolved the ecological strategy of nearby diffusion by regulating the morphological characteristics of the seeds, which promotes a positive spatial correlation between the juvenile and adult populations at a small scale, thus leading to the formation of ‘safe islands’.

Seed and vegetation dynamics in an alpine herb field: effects of disturbance type

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne C. Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Vegetative State ◽  
Seed Rain ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Pocket Gopher ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Highly Correlated

Relationships among the aboveground vegetation, seed rain, and seed bank were examined on a late seral herb field characterized by pocket gopher disturbance and on an early seral gravel borrow that had been severely disturbed 35 years ago on the Beartooth Plateau, Montana. Aboveground vegetation cover was assessed by species in twelve 5-m2 plots. Seed rain was sampled during the 1988, 1989, and 1990 growing seasons with pitfall traps, and the soil seed bank was sampled in fall 1989, spring 1990, and fall 1990. The seed rain (filled seeds) on the borrow area ranged from 7730 to 14 009 seeds/m2 and was higher than that found on other alpine sites; that on the Geum turf ranged from 3375 to 6179 seeds/m2 and was similar to that for other alpine sites. Although highly variable among dates on the borrow area, the seed banks were similar to those of comparable alpine sites. Seed bank density ranged from 1980 to 6003 seeds/m2 on the borrow area and from 3202 to 4647 seeds/m2 on the Geum turf area. The Geum turf area had higher vegetation cover than the borrow area (87 vs. 25%) and higher numbers of species in the aboveground vegetation, seed rain, and seed bank. Relationships among the aboveground vegetation, seed rain, and seed bank were largely determined by the disturbance characteristics of the different sites and the life-history strategies of the dominant species. Medium-lived species, primarily grasses, with high production of small and compact seeds had colonized the borrow area. Despite establishment of other species, 35 years after disturbance the medium-lived species still dominated the aboveground vegetation, seed rain, and seed bank. Species abundances in the three different components were all highly correlated. In contrast, on the Geum turf area there were no correlations among the aboveground vegetation, seed rain, or seed bank. Long-lived forbs that produced low numbers of relatively large seeds dominated the aboveground vegetation and persisted on the area primarily in the vegetative state. The same medium-lived species that dominated the borrow area had the highest abundance in the seed rain on the Geum turf area and appeared to persist by colonizing small-scale disturbances caused by gopher burrowing. Short-lived species with small, long-lived seeds existed on the site primarily through a highly persistent seed bank. The relationships among the aboveground vegetation, seed rain, and seed bank on the Geum turf and borrow areas are compared with those observed for more temperate systems following disturbance. Key words: alpine, herb field, Geum turf, disturbance, vegetation cover, seed rain, seed bank, colonization, establishment, succession.

scholarly journals Size-Dependent Patterns of Seed Rain in Gaps in Temperate Secondary Forests, Northeast China

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiaoling Yan ◽  
Qun Gang ◽  
Jiaojun Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seed Rain ◽  
Spatiotemporal Pattern ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Gap Size

Secondary forests have become the major forest type worldwide, and are experiencing various disturbances and exhibiting obvious vegetation degradation (e.g., reduced biodiversity and decreased productivity) compared with primary forests. Forest gap is a common small-scale disturbance in secondary forests. Promoting natural regeneration under gap disturbance is an important approach to recover biodiversity and ecosystem services for temperate secondary forests. The gap size is the crucial characteristic controlling natural regeneration of many tree species. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal pattern of seed rain for gravity-dispersed and wind-dispersed tree species in gaps of varying sizes. The objectives of this study were to determine how seed rain of dominant tree species depend on gap size, and consequently, to explore some gap-based silviculture solutions for restoring secondary forests from the view of seed dispersal. The spatial distribution of seed rain in gaps with three sizes (large gaps of 250–350 m2, medium gaps of 150–250 m2, and small gaps of < 150 m2), the temporal dynamics of seed rain over three years, and the relationship between seed rain and soil seed banks were explored in temperate secondary forests. The results showed that more than 90% of the seeds in seed rain were wind-dispersed, and their seed rain density and the contribution of seed rain to soil seed bank in medium gaps reached the highest (p = 0.03). The results suggest that establishing medium-sized gaps (i.e., gap size with 150–250 m2) in the secondary forests is more favorable for improving the natural regeneration potential (arrival of seeds and forming soil seed bank) of gap-dependent and wind-dispersed species (e.g., Acer mono) in gaps.

scholarly journals Grazing influences Stipa breviflora seed germination in desert grasslands of the Inner Mongolia Plateau

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenting Liu ◽  
Tianle Wang ◽  
Shuang Zhang ◽  
Lijun Ding ◽  
Zhijun Wei
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Minimum Weight ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Desert Grassland ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Heavy Grazing ◽  
Seed Dispersion ◽  
Fixed Proportion

Seed germination plays an important role in determining the composition and regeneration of plant populations (Stipa breviflora). However, the influencing factors and strategies employed for seed germination in desert grasslands under grazing remain unknown. Therefore, in this study, the reproductive allocation, seed density, seed properties, and corresponding seed germination rates of S. breviflora were examined. Possible situations encountered during dispersal were also simulated to determine their effects on seed germination. The results showed that reproductive individual density not subjected to grazing were significantly higher than those subjected to moderate and heavy grazing. For seed density and seed bank in soil, the highest values were observed for the no grazing treatment, followed by the moderate and heavy grazing treatments. The seed density for germination of soil seed banks was nearly one-fourth of seed density during the growing season. In addition, grazing treatments affected the phenotypic characteristics of seeds and reduced the lower limit of the weight of germinable seeds. Awn removal significantly increased germination. The longest germination time was observed for seeds that entered the soil at an angle of 0°. Our research demonstrated that grazing negatively affected the desert grassland edificator. Individual plants adopted different adaptation strategies under different grazing intensities; for example, a fixed proportion of the seed number and seed germination number of S. breviflora in the soil seed bank was maintained by exceeding the minimum weight of a seed for seed germination. During seed dispersion, the awn effectively prevented germination under unfavourable conditions and helped seeds enter the soil at an optimal angle for promoting germination.

Characteristics of Soil Seed Bank of Caragana microphylla Community under the Grazing and Enclosure Conditions in Horqin Sandy Land

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 714-719
Author(s):  
Ming LI ◽  
De-ming JIANG ◽  
Yong-ming LUO ◽  
Xiu-mei WANG ◽  
Bo LIU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Horqin Sandy Land ◽  
Sandy Land ◽  
Caragana Microphylla

Community Dynamics and Soil Seed Bank Ecology of Lane Mountain Milkvetch (Astragalus jaegerianus Munz)

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Huggins ◽  
B. A. Prigge ◽  
M. R. Sharifi ◽  
P. W. Rundel
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Soil Seed Bank

scholarly journals Effects of Wollastonia biflora expansion on the soil seed bank in native forest communities on a tropical coral island

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. e01403
Author(s):  
Yao Huang ◽  
Hai Ren ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Nan Liu ◽  
Shuguang Jian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Tropical Coral ◽  
Coral Island
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