Buried viable seed in a ponderosa pine community

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Pratt ◽  
R. Alan Black ◽  
B. A. Zamora
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Heat Treatments ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Viable Seed ◽  
Stellaria Media

The seed bank of a Pinus ponderosa – Symphoricarpos albus stand in east-central Washington was examined with respect to species composition, depth distribution, and germination responses to heat and shade treatments. Seeds of 57 species were present in the seed bank to a depth of 10 cm. Twenty-one of these species were not found in the aboveground vegetation of the study area. Estimated viable seed densities in spring and autumn collections were 13 052 ± 1481 and 14 463 ± 1356 seeds m−2, respectively. Stellaria media and Poa pratensis, both alien species, accounted for 50% of the buried viable seed. Seed density was highest in litter samples. Total seed density decreased with soil depth, although seeds of some pioneer species were more abundant in the mineral soil than in the litter. Species dominating the seed bank were generally unimportant in the aboveground vegetation. Woody species, which dominated the aboveground vegetation, accounted for only 1% of the seed bank. Annual forbs dominated the seed bank (45% of total buried viable seed) but were not dominant in the vegetation. Seeds of several species survived prestratification heat treatments. Poststratification heat treatments inhibited germination or destroyed seed of nearly all species. As shading increased, germination of most species decreased. However, shade did not inhibit germination of species characteristic of mature successional stages.

scholarly journals Germination, Establishment, and Mortality of Naturally Seeded Southwestern Ponderosa Pine

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Stein ◽  
Diana N. Kimberling
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Mortality Factors ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Prescribed Burns ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Northern Arizona ◽  
Lepidopteran Larvae

Abstract Information on the mortality factors affecting naturally seeded conifer seedlings is becoming increasingly important to forest managers for both economic and ecological reasons. Mortality factors affecting ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) seedlings immediately following natural germination and through the following year were monitored in Northern Arizona. The four major mortality factors in temporal order included the failure of roots to establish in the soil (27%), herbivory by lepidopteran larvae (28%), desiccation (30%), and winterkill (10%). These mortality factors were compared among seedlings germinating in three different overstory densities and an experimental water treatment. Seedlings that were experimentally watered experienced greater mortality than natural seedlings due to herbivory (40%), nearly as much mortality due to the failure of roots to establish in the soil (20%), less mortality due to winterkill (5%), and no mortality due to desiccation. The seedling mortality data through time were summarized using survivorship curves and life tables. Our results suggest that managers should consider using prescribed burns to decrease the percentage of seedlings that die from failure of their roots to reach mineral soil and from attack by lepidopteran larvae. West. J. Appl. For. 18(2):109–114.

Viable seed populations by soil depth and potential site recolonization after disturbance

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (18) ◽  
pp. 2408-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice M. Moore ◽  
Ross W. Wein
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Viable Seed ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Forest Experiment Station ◽  
Viable Seeds ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Germination Experiment

Seedling emergence from organic and mineral soil layers was measured for nine study sites at the Acadia Forest Experiment Station near Fredericton, New Brunswick. The number of viable seeds showed a decrease from deciduous-dominated forest, to conifer-dominated forest, to organic soil study sites. Viable seed number varied from 3400/m2 for a deciduous-dominated forest study site to zero for a bog study site. Most seeds germinated from the upper organic soil layers of all study sites and were predominantly Rubus strigosus Michx. After the germination experiment, ungerminated seeds, which showed no viability by the tetrazolium test, were separated from the soil. These seeds were almost entirely Betula spp. and seed numbers were as high as 4200–9400/m2 for a deciduous-dominated forest. The applicability of the results to differing types of postdisturbance revegetation is discussed.

Seed banks of an Arizona Pinus ponderosa landscape: responses to environmental gradients and fire cues

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 552-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott R. Abella ◽  
Judith D. Springer ◽  
W. Wallace Covington
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Tree Canopies ◽  
Dense Tree

We measured soil seed banks in 102 plots within a 110 000 ha Arizona Pinus ponderosa landscape, determined seed-bank responses to fire cues and tree canopy types (open or densely treed patches), compared seed-bank composition among ecosystem types, and assessed the utility of seed banks for ecological restoration. Liquid smoke was associated with increased community-level emergence from seed banks in greenhouse experiments, whereas heating to 100 °C had minimal effect and charred P. ponderosa wood decreased emergence. We detected 103 species in seed-bank samples and 280 species in aboveground vegetation. Erigeron divergens was the commonest seed-bank species; with the exception of Gnaphalium exilifolium , species detected in seed banks also occurred above ground. Although a dry, sandy-textured black-cinder ecosystem exhibited the greatest seed density, seed-bank composition was more ecosystem-specific than was seed density. Native graminoids (e.g., Carex geophila and Muhlenbergia montana ) were common in seed banks, whereas perennial forbs were sparse, particularly under dense tree canopies. Our results suggest that (i) smoke may increase emergence from seed banks in these forests, (ii) seed banks can assist establishment of major graminoids but not forbs during ecological restoration, and (iii) seed-bank composition is partly ecosystem-specific across the landscape.

Impact of forest fire on soil seed bank composition in Himalayan Chir pine forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-184
Author(s):  
Bobbymoore Konsam ◽  
Shyam S Phartyal ◽  
Nagendra P Todaria
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Postfire Regeneration ◽  
Standing Vegetation ◽  
Chir Pine

Abstract Aims To explain how plant community copes with a recurring anthropogenic forest fire in Himalayan Chir pine forest, it is important to understand their postfire regeneration strategies. The primary aim of the study was to know: (i) how fire impact soil seed bank composition and (ii) how much soil seed bank composition differs with standing vegetation after the forest fire. Methods Soil samples were collected from burned and adjoining unburned sites in blocks using three layers down to 9 cm depth immediately after a forest fire and incubated in the net-house for seedling emergence. Same sites were revisited during late monsoon/early autumn season to know the species composition of standing vegetation recovered after a forest fire. Important Findings Soil contained viable seeds of >70 species. The average seed bank density was 8417 and 14 217 seeds/m2 in the burned and unburned site, respectively. In both sites, it decreased with increasing soil depth. Overall fire had no significant impact on seed density; however, taking individual layers into consideration, fire had a significant impact on seed density only in the uppermost soil layer. The species richness of soil seed bank and standing vegetation was 73 and 100, respectively (with 35 shared species), resulting in a similarity of about 40%. In contrast, >80% species in soil seed bank was found similar between burned and unburned sites. Further, there were no significant differences in species richness of standing vegetation in burned (87 spp.) and unburned (78 spp.) sites. Our results showed that fire had an insignificant impact on soil seed bank composition and restoration potential of a plant species from seeds. The understory herb and shrub plant community’s ability to form a fire-resistant viable soil seed bank and capable to recover in the postfire rainy season, explains how they reduce the risk of recurring fire damage in maintaining their population.

Seed bank populations in upland coniferous forests in central Alberta

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 274-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Fyles
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Coniferous Forests ◽  
Peat Moss ◽  
Viable Seed ◽  
Area Burned ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Buried Seed ◽  
Surface Mineral

The species composition and abundance of viable seed in organic forest floor and surface mineral soil from two high-latitude jack pine dominated and two white spruce dominated stands were determined by enumerating germinants from samples placed on moist peat-moss beds. Estimated seed density ranged from 500 to 2600 seeds/m2, representing 13 species of trees, shrubs, and forbs. About half of the species in the seed bank were present as mature plants in each stand. The high seed densities recorded are inconsistent with the previously proposed poleward decline in the abundance of buried seed. The role of buried viable seed differed among species in relation to inherent seed dispersal capabilities and seed longevity. Several species were recorded that are considered to have a very short period of viability in the soil. It is suggested that even a short residence in the seed bank may be adaptive in areas where spring burning accounts for a large proportion of the total area burned annually.

scholarly journals The Influence of Cow Age on Botanical Composition of Diets in Mountain Riparian Areas in Eastern Oregon of the United States

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enkhjargal Darambazar ◽  
Timothy DelCurto ◽  
Daalkhaijav Damiran
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
Kentucky Bluegrass ◽  
The United States ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Riparian Areas ◽  
Western Wheatgrass

<p>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cow age on botanical composition of diets in mountain riparian areas. Treatments consisted of 30 first-calf heifers, and 30 mature cows randomly assigned to four pastures (2 pastures/treatment, average 21.5 ha) in a 2-year study with a cross-over design. Botanical composition of diets was determined in fecal samples obtained from 10 animals in each treatment (5 per pasture) on the fourth week of 35 to 42-days grazing periods using the microhistological technique. Crude protein (CP) content and <em>in vitro</em> dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) were determined, and correction factors were calculated for 22 major plant species. In digested samples, grasses were overestimated, whereas, all forbs but northern bedstraw (<em>Galium boreale </em>L.), were underestimated, and all shrub species were overestimated except common snowberry (<em>Symphoricarpos albus </em>L.). Ponderosa pine (<em>Pinus ponderosa </em>Dougl.) was highly overestimated after digestion. There was no difference between cattle age class in the total number of plant species found in the diets (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.10) averaging in 41 species. Most individual grass and grasslike species made up more than 5% of the diets, while all individual forb, shrub, and tree species were minor components, not exceeding 5%, except ponderosa pine. Western wheatgrass (<em>Agropyron smithii </em>Rybd.) and tufted hairgrass (<em>Deschampsia caespitosa </em>(L.) Beauv.) accounted for over 10% of the diets. Heifers consumed more (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) grasses and fewer (<em>p </em>&lt; 0.10) shrubs and trees compared to mature cows. The diet of heifers contained more western wheatgrass, Baltic rush (<em>Juncus balticus </em>Willd.), and pinegrass (<em>Calamagrostis rubescens </em>Buckl.) (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.10), but less Kentucky bluegrass (<em>Poa pratensis </em>L.) (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01), than the diet of mature cows. The proportion of ponderosa pine needles was higher in the diet of mature cows (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.10), than in the diet of first calf heifers. In summary, mature cows appeared to have selected a diet that contained less grasses and more shrubs and trees compared to younger cows.</p>

Postfire environmental conditions influence the spatial pattern of regeneration for Pinus ponderosa

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
V H Bonnet ◽  
A W Schoettle ◽  
W D Shepperd
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Safe Sites ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Seed Availability ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Ground Conditions

Regeneration of ponderosa pine after fire depends on the patterns of seed availability and the environmental conditions that define safe sites for seedling establishment. A transect approach was applied in 2002 to determine the spatial distribution of regeneration from unburned to burned areas within the landscape impacted by the Jasper Fire of 2000 in the Black Hills of South Dakota (USA). Canopy conditions alone, reflecting seed availability, at the stand level were not correlated with regeneration success. However, canopy conditions in combination with ground conditions explained patterns of regeneration success at the plot level (2 m × 6 m scale), and ground conditions explained these patterns at the quadrat level (0.2 m × 0.2 m scale). Only at the finer level of the quadrat could environmental factors explain seedling survival. Safe sites were characterized, in part, by the presence of scorched needle litter on blackened mineral soil. Areas with high understory cover restricted regeneration in the undisturbed forest and reduced seedling survival in the burned areas. The description of environmental conditions that favor and discourage ponderosa pine regeneration success will improve our understanding of how environmental heterogeneity within burned areas will contribute to the future forested landscape.

scholarly journals ¿Qué ocurre con el banco de semillas del suelo 17 años después del corte de la vegetación?

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Brasil Mendes ◽  
Kleber Andrade da Silva ◽  
Danielle Melo dos Santos ◽  
Josiene Maria Falcão Fraga dos Santos ◽  
Ulysses Paulino De Albuquerque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Mature Forest ◽  
Young Forest

Seed banks play an important role in the resilience of potential anthropogenic areas and are influenced by seasonal variation. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the forests influences the richness and density of the soil seed bank, but there is a hypothesis that such influence can be changed in anthropogenic areas, where we expect to find lower richness and seed density in relation to the seed bank of mature forests. The richness and seasonal density of seeds in the soil depth of a young caatinga forest, 17 years after an agricultural activity was abandoned, were evaluated and compared with those of a mature forest. The study was conducted at the Instituto Agronômico de Pernambuco - IPA (Estação Experimental José Nilson de Melo), located in Caruaru, Pernambuco, Brazil, in an area of tropical dry forest, known locally as “caatinga”. The local climate is seasonal, the dry season occurring from September to February and the rainy season concentrated in the remaining months. The average annual rainfall over time (time series of 30 years) is 692mm. In each climatic season (rainy and dry), the seed bank was sampled in 210 20x20cm plots (105 in the leaf litter and 105 at 5cm soil depth). The richness and seed density of the soil samples were evaluated by the method of seedling emergence. The seed bank had 47 species, with a predominance of herbaceous plants. Seasonal variation in richness and seed density in the soil (leaf litter + soil) was not significant, but 42 species of the mature forest were absent from the seed bank of the young forest, despite 17 years of natural regeneration and its proximity to the mature forest. On its own, the soil has greater richness and density of seeds than the leaf litter. The depth of seed deposition in the soil bank of the young forest significantly explained 36% of the species richness and 16% of the seed density, with a significant interaction effect with the climatic season only on species richness, explaining 4% of the variation recorded. The seed density of the young forest (1 277seeds/m<sup>2</sup>) was greater than that the mature forest indicating that the time abandoned had not yet been sufficient for complete recovery of plant diversity and there is no longer any seed limitation of pioneer species for regeneration of the young forest.

Soil Seed Bank of a Jack Pine (Pinus Banksiana) Ecosystem

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
CA Whittle ◽  
LC Duchesne ◽  
T Needham
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Pteridium Aquilinum ◽  
Soil Cores

The soil seed bank (seed and vegetative propagules) of a jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) ecosystem was investigated using direct propagule emergence from soil cores in greenhouse experiments, and visual examination of rhizome/rooting systems in situ. Of the 985 emergents observed from soil cores 643 (65%) originated from seeds whereas 342 (35%) arose from rhizomes. Grasses and sedge comprised 89% of the seed emergents while shrubs comprised 75% of the vegetative emergents. In situ examination of root systems revealed that Linnaea borealis L., Carex houghtonii Torr., Gaultheria procumbens L., and Maianthemum canadense Desf. had rhizomes buried at or above the duff/mineral interface while Lycopodium obscurum L., Lycopodium complanatum L. and Pteridium aquilinum L. (Kuhn) were predominately buried within the upper- layers of mineral soil. All other vegetatively reproducing species examined, with the exception of Rubus alleghaniensis Porter, had rhizomes buried deeper than 25 cm into mineral soil. Rubus allegheniensis (reproductive roots) had no discrete area of burial and were located in duff, upper mineral, and deep mineral soil. Depth of burial of reproductive material is used to explain plant succession after disturbance.

Fine-scale variation of historical fire regimes in sagebrush-steppe and juniper woodland: an example from California, USA

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard F. Miller ◽  
Emily K. Heyerdahl
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Western Juniper ◽  
Fine Fuels ◽  
Fire Intervals

Coarse-scale estimates of fire intervals across the mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle) alliance range from decades to centuries. However, soil depth and texture can affect the abundance and continuity of fine fuels and vary at fine spatial scales, suggesting fire regimes may vary at similar scales. We explored variation in fire frequency across 4000 ha in four plant associations with differing soils in which mountain big sagebrush and western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis subsp. occidentalis Hook.) were diagnostic or a transitory component. We reconstructed fire frequency from fire-scarred ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) in one association. The other three associations lacked fire-scarred trees so we inferred fire frequency from establishment or death dates of western juniper and a model of the rate of post-fire succession we developed from current vegetation along a chronosequence of time-since-fire. Historical fire frequency varied at fine spatial scales in response to soil-driven variation in fuel abundance and continuity and spanned the range of frequencies currently debated. Fire intervals ranged from decades in areas of deep, productive soils where fine fuels were likely abundant and continuous, to centuries in areas of shallow, coarse soils where fine fuel was likely limited.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document