Abstract
Orthodox, desiccation-tolerant seeds lose desiccation tolerance during germination. Here, we quantify the timing of the loss of desiccation tolerance, and explore the implications of this event for seed mortality and the shape of germination progress curves for pioneer tree species. For the nine species studied, all seeds in a seedlot lost desiccation tolerance after the same fixed proportion of their time to germination, and this proportion was fairly constant across the species (0.63-0.70). The loss of desiccation tolerance after a fixed proportion of the time to germination has the implication that the maximum number of seeds in a seedlot that can be killed by a single drying event during germination (M-max) increases with an increasing time to 50% germination (t(50)) and an increasing slope of the germination progress curve. Consequently, to prevent the seed population from becoming highly vulnerable to desiccation-induced mortality, species with a greater t(50) would be expected to have a shallower germination progress curve. In conclusion, these data suggest that the loss of desiccation tolerance during germination may constitute a significant, but previously unexplored, source of mortality for seeds in seasonal environments with unpredictable rainfall.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 273-281 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Seed Science Research |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Keywords
- desiccation tolerance
- germination rate
- Panama
- seed mortality
- tropical forest
- topographic position
- trees
- size
- ecophysiology
- survival
- responses
- seedlings
- growth
Cite this
Loss of desiccation tolerance during germination in neo-tropical pioneer seeds : Implications for seed mortality and germination characteristics. / Daws, Matthew I.; Bolton, Sheina; Burslem, David F. R. P.; Garwood, Nancy C.; Mullins, Christopher E.
In: Seed Science Research, Vol. 17, No. 4, 2007, p. 273-281.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Loss of desiccation tolerance during germination in neo-tropical pioneer seeds
T2 - Implications for seed mortality and germination characteristics
AU - Daws, Matthew I.
AU - Bolton, Sheina
AU - Burslem, David F. R. P.
AU - Garwood, Nancy C.
AU - Mullins, Christopher E.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Orthodox, desiccation-tolerant seeds lose desiccation tolerance during germination. Here, we quantify the timing of the loss of desiccation tolerance, and explore the implications of this event for seed mortality and the shape of germination progress curves for pioneer tree species. For the nine species studied, all seeds in a seedlot lost desiccation tolerance after the same fixed proportion of their time to germination, and this proportion was fairly constant across the species (0.63-0.70). The loss of desiccation tolerance after a fixed proportion of the time to germination has the implication that the maximum number of seeds in a seedlot that can be killed by a single drying event during germination (M-max) increases with an increasing time to 50% germination (t(50)) and an increasing slope of the germination progress curve. Consequently, to prevent the seed population from becoming highly vulnerable to desiccation-induced mortality, species with a greater t(50) would be expected to have a shallower germination progress curve. In conclusion, these data suggest that the loss of desiccation tolerance during germination may constitute a significant, but previously unexplored, source of mortality for seeds in seasonal environments with unpredictable rainfall.
AB - Orthodox, desiccation-tolerant seeds lose desiccation tolerance during germination. Here, we quantify the timing of the loss of desiccation tolerance, and explore the implications of this event for seed mortality and the shape of germination progress curves for pioneer tree species. For the nine species studied, all seeds in a seedlot lost desiccation tolerance after the same fixed proportion of their time to germination, and this proportion was fairly constant across the species (0.63-0.70). The loss of desiccation tolerance after a fixed proportion of the time to germination has the implication that the maximum number of seeds in a seedlot that can be killed by a single drying event during germination (M-max) increases with an increasing time to 50% germination (t(50)) and an increasing slope of the germination progress curve. Consequently, to prevent the seed population from becoming highly vulnerable to desiccation-induced mortality, species with a greater t(50) would be expected to have a shallower germination progress curve. In conclusion, these data suggest that the loss of desiccation tolerance during germination may constitute a significant, but previously unexplored, source of mortality for seeds in seasonal environments with unpredictable rainfall.
KW - desiccation tolerance
KW - germination rate
KW - Panama
KW - seed mortality
KW - tropical forest
KW - topographic position
KW - trees
KW - size
KW - ecophysiology
KW - survival
KW - responses
KW - seedlings
KW - growth
U2 - 10.1017/S0960258507837755
DO - 10.1017/S0960258507837755
M3 - Article
VL - 17
SP - 273
EP - 281
JO - Seed Science Research
JF - Seed Science Research
SN - 0960-2585
IS - 4
ER -