scholarly journals Estimating seed bank accumulation and dynamics in three obligate-seeder Proteaceae species

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meaghan E. Jenkins ◽  
David Morrison ◽  
Tony D. Auld
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Plant Age ◽  
Obligate Seeder ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Banksia Ericifolia ◽  
Regeneration Strategies ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Number Of Seeds

The seed bank dynamics of the three co-occurring obligate-seeder (i.e. fire-sensitive) Proteaceae species, Banksia ericifolia, Banksia marginata and Petrophile pulchella, were examined at sites of varying time since the most recent fire (i.e. plant age) in the Sydney region. Significant variation among species was found in the number of cones produced, the position of the cones within the canopy, the percentage of barren cones produced (Banksia species only), the number of follicles/bracts produced per cone, and the number of seeds lost/released due to spontaneous fruit rupture. Thus, three different regeneration strategies were observed, highlighting the variation in reproductive strategies of co-occurring Proteaceae species. Ultimately, B. marginata potentially accumulated a seed bank of ~3000 seeds per plant after 20 years, with ~1500 seeds per plant for P. pulchella and ~500 for B. ericifolia. Based on these data, B. marginata and B. ericifolia require a minimum fire-free period of 8–10 years, with 7–8 years for P. pulchella, to allow for an adequate seed bank to accumulate and thus ensure local persistence of these species in fire-prone habitats.

Seed Bank Dynamics of Three Co-Occurring Banksias in South Coastal Western Australia: the Role of Plant Age, Cockatoos, Senescence and Interfire Establishment.

1991 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
ETF Witkowski ◽  
BB Lamont ◽  
SJ Connell
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Quadratic Function ◽  
Seed Storage ◽  
Plant Age ◽  
The Other ◽  
Age Cohorts ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

Seed bank dynamics of three co-occurring, non-sprouting Banksia species (B. baxteri, B. speciosa and B. coccinea) in patch-burnt scrub-heath (aged 10 and 21 years) were studied in the southern sandplains of Western Australia. In the younger plants, canopy seed storage was highest in B. coccinea. However, 21-year-old B. coccinea stored an order of magnitude fewer seeds than the other species and no more than young B. coccinea. Seed storage per year increased exponentially with plant age in B. speciosa and B. baxteri, whereas a quadratic function, peaking at 16 years, best described seed storage in B. Coccinea. Degree of serotiny was lowest in B. coccinea. Seed abortion did not vary between age cohorts but was highest in B. coccinea. Granivory ranged from 18 to 42% and was highest in the older plants and in B. baxteri. Cockatoos removed about 20% of cones in B. baxteri and B. coccinea and 10% in B. speciosa. Experimental cone removal accelerated follicle opening, especially in B. coccinea, irrespective of whether cones were placed on the ground (simulating cockatoo removal) or reattached to the plant (simulating plant death). Half the 21-year-old B. coccinea were dead and the remainder were considered senescent, as most branches showed dieback and cone fertility had fallen to 8%. Death of the other species was negligible, with cone fertility rising to a mean of 45% (B. speciosa) and 66% (B. baxteri). Interfire establishment was significant only in B. coccinea. The build-up of a viable seed bank with time occurred at a slower rate than for non-sprouting banksias in the northern sandplains.

Use of growth characteristics for predicting plant age of three obligate-seeder Proteaceae species

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meaghan E. Jenkins ◽  
David A. Morrison ◽  
Tony D. Auld
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Growth Characteristics ◽  
Plant Age ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Obligate Seeder ◽  
Canopy Area ◽  
Banksia Ericifolia ◽  
Volume Estimates ◽  
Age Estimates ◽  
Area And Volume

We tested the ability to predict plant (and hence population) age for three fire-sensitive obligate-seeder Proteaceae species (Banksia ericifolia, Banksia marginata and Petrophile pulchella) in the heath and woodland vegetation of the Sydney region. To do this we sampled the number of growth whorls, as well as other growth characteristics (stem girth and height measurements, and canopy area and volume estimates), in areas of known time since last fire (TSLF). The average number of growth whorls was a very good predictor of plant age for both Banksia species (R2 = 98%, 99%), but this needed to be corrected for linear underestimation in P. pulchella (R2 = 92%). This technique could successfully be applied to these species in similar habitats across a large spatial scale, and so this information can be used to determine the age of a population in areas of unknown TSLF. A sample size of 15 plants was sufficient for accurate age estimates of all species; however, better estimates of TSLF for a particular plant community were obtained when estimates from two or more of the species were combined. We thus provide empirical evidence for the validity and accuracy of the growth-whorl technique for predicting plant age and hence TSLF. This information will assist in informing the development of appropriate management strategies for plants in relation to fire. Of the other growth characteristics studied, stem girth was the most reliable predictor; however, in general these other characteristics had wide confidence intervals on the predictions for sites greater than 10 years TSLF, owing to a non-linear relationship with age.

scholarly journals Classification of Post-Fire Responses of Woody Plants to include Pyrophobic Communities

Fire ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynda D. Prior ◽  
David M. J. S. Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Woody Plants ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
General Category ◽  
Conifer Species ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Obligate Seeder ◽  
In Fire

Developing standardised classification of post-fire responses is essential for globally consistent comparisons of woody vegetation communities. Existing classification systems are based on responses of species growing in fire-prone environments. To accommodate species that occur in rarely burnt environments, we have suggested some important points of clarification to earlier schemes categorizing post-fire responses. We have illustrated this approach using several Australasian conifer species as examples of pyrophobic species. In particular, we suggest using the term “obligate seeder” for the general category of plants that rely on seed to reproduce, and qualifying this to “post-fire obligate seeder” for the narrower category of species with populations that recover from canopy fire only by seeding; the species are typically fire-cued, with large aerial or soil seed banks that germinate profusely following a fire, and grow and reproduce rapidly in order to renew the seed bank before the next fire.

Seed bank dynamics of the annual halophyte Salicornia ramosissima: towards a sustainable exploitation of its wild populations

Plant Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 222 (5) ◽  
pp. 647-657
Author(s):  
Alejandro Polo ◽  
Alba Fragoso ◽  
María D. Infante-Izquierdo ◽  
Francisco J. J. Nieva ◽  
Adolfo F. Muñoz-Rodríguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Sustainable Exploitation ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Salicornia Ramosissima

scholarly journals Seed bank dynamics in five Panamanian forests

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Fornara ◽  
J. W. Dalling
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Pioneer Species ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuations ◽  
Annual Fluctuation ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Successful Recruitment ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Lowland Forests

Many tropical pioneer species depend on the presence of high seed densities in the soil for successful recruitment following canopy disturbance (Cheke et al. 1979, Dalling & Hubbell 2002, Guevara Sada & Gómez Pompa 1972, Whitmore 1983). However determinants of variation in the composition and abundance of soil seed banks remain poorly understood. Seed bank densities can be affected by rates of seed predation and pathogen infection on the surface and in the soil, by intrinsic rates of loss in viability following dispersal, and by variation in the timing and duration of fruit production (Dalling et al. 1997, Garwood 1983, Murray & Garcia 2002). Here we compare seasonal fluctuations in seed bank density in five Panamanian forests varying in elevation and seasonality of precipitation (Table 1). We predict that lowland forests should show stronger intra-annual fluctuation in seed bank densities than montane forests because seed production and loss rates should be higher under conditions of greater resource availability, and where consistent high temperatures support greater abundance or activity of seed predators and pathogens (Brühl et al. 1999). Secondly, among lowland sites, we predict greater fluctuations in seed bank densities at drier, more seasonal sites where seasonally favourable conditions for seedling recruitment may select for interspecific synchrony in fruit production (Daubenmire 1972, Garwood 1983).

Buried seed populations in the montane, subalpine, and alpine belts of Mont Jacques-Cartier, Quebec

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubert Morin ◽  
Serge Payette
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Linear Correlation ◽  
Altitudinal Gradient ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Significant Linear Correlation ◽  
Seed Population ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Buried Seed ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Number Of Seeds

The analysis of the total buried seed population along an altitudinal gradient in the Mont Jacques-Cartier area, southern Quebec, reveals a close relationship between buried seed flora and aboveground vegetation. Eighty-one percent of the species present in the total buried seed population were present in the aboveground vegetation of the study sites. The total number of seeds in the buried seed population, the number of species in the total buried seed population, and the number of seeds and species in the seed bank did not show any significant linear correlation with altitude. A shift from a boreal to an arctic–alpine buried seed population with increasing altitude was observed, instead of a decrease in seed bank size.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document