Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T03:42:44.123Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Loss of desiccation tolerance during germination in neo-tropical pioneer seeds: implications for seed mortality and germination characteristics†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2007

Matthew I. Daws ,
Sheina Bolton ,
David F.R.P. Burslem ,
Nancy C. Garwood  and
Christopher E. Mullins
Matthew I. Daws*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK Seed Conservation Department, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TNUK
Sheina Bolton
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
David F.R.P. Burslem
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
Nancy C. Garwood
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6509, USA
Christopher E. Mullins
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
*
*Correspondence Fax: +44(0)1444894110 Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

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 (Mmax) increases with an increasing time to 50% germination (t50) 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 t50 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.

Keywords

desiccation tolerancegermination ratePanamáseed mortality
Type
Research Article
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , December 2007 , pp. 273 - 281
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

Presented at the Fifth International Workshop, Desiccation Tolerance and Sensitivity of Seeds and Vegetative Plant Tissues, Drakensberg, South Africa, 14–21 January 2007.

 

References

Acuna, P.I. and Garwood, N.C. (1987) Effect of light and scarification on the germination of five species of tropical secondary trees. Revista de Biologia Tropicale 35, 203–207.Google Scholar
Augspurger, C.K. (1979) Irregular rain cues and the germination and seedling survival of a Panamanian shrub (Hybanthus prunifolius). Oecologia 44, 53–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Augspurger, C.K. (1983) Offspring recruitment around tropical trees: changes in cohort distance with time. Oikos 40, 189–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Becker, P., Rabenold, P.E., Idol, J.R. and Smith, A.P. (1988) Water potential gradients for gaps and slopes in a Panamanian tropical moist forest's dry season. Journal of Tropical Ecology 4, 173–184.Google Scholar
Blain, D. and Kellman, M. (1991) The effect of water supply on tree seed germination and seedling survival in a tropical seasonal forest in Veracruz, Mexico. Journal of Tropical Ecology 7, 69–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bond, W.J., Honig, M. and Maze, K.E. (1999) Seed size and seedling emergence: an allometric relationship and some ecological implications. Oecologia 120, 132–136.Google Scholar
Boubriak, I., Kargiolaki, H., Lyne, L. and Osborne, D.J. (1997) The requirement for DNA repair in desiccation tolerance of germinating embryos. Seed Science Research 7, 97–105.Google Scholar
Bruggink, T. and van der Toorn, P. (1995) Induction of desiccation tolerance in germinated seeds. Seed Science Research 5, 1–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buitink, J., Vu, B.L., Satour, P. and Leprince, O. (2003) The re-establishment of desiccation tolerance in germinated radicles of Medicago truncatula Gaertn. seeds. Seed Science Research 13, 273–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buitink, J., Leger, J.J., Guisle, I., Vu, B.L., Wuilleme, S., Lamirault, G., Le Bars, A., Le Meur, N., Becker, A., Küster, H. and Leprince, O. (2006) Transcriptome profiling uncovers metabolic and regulatory processes occurring during the transition from desiccation-sensitive to desiccation-tolerant stages in Medicago truncatula seeds. Plant Journal 47, 735–750.Google Scholar
Croat, T.B. (1978) Flora of Barro Colorado Island. Stanford, USA, Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Dalling, J.W., Swaine, M.D. and Garwood, N.C. (1998) Dispersal patterns and seed bank dynamics of pioneer trees in moist tropical forest. Ecology 79, 564–578.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dalling, J.W., Lovelock, C.E. and Hubbell, S.P. (1999) Growth responses of seedlings of two neotropical pioneer species to simulated forest gap environments. Journal of Tropical Ecology 15, 827–839.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daws, M.I. (2002) Mechanisms of plant species coexistence in a semi-deciduous tropical forest in Panamá. PhD thesis, University of Aberdeen, UK.Google Scholar
Daws, M.I., Burslem, D.F.R.P., Crabtree, L.M., Kirkman, P., Mullins, C.E. and Dalling, J.W. (2002a) Differences in seed germination responses may promote coexistence of four sympatric Piper species. Functional Ecology 16, 258–267.Google Scholar
Daws, M.I., Mullins, C.E., Burslem, D.F.R.P., Paton, S.R. and Dalling, J.W. (2002b) Topographic position affects the water regime in a semideciduous tropical forest in Panamá. Plant and Soil 238, 79–90.Google Scholar
Daws, M.I., Pearson, T.R.H., Burslem, D.F.R.P., Mullins, C.E. and Dalling, J.W. (2005) Effects of topographic position, leaf litter and seed size on seedling demography in a semi-deciduous tropical forest in Panamá. Plant Ecology 179, 93–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daws, M.I., Orr, D., Burslem, D.F.R.P. and Mullins, C.E. (2006) Effect of high temperature on chalazal plug removal and germination in Apeiba tibourbou Aubl. Seed Science and Technology 34, 221–225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daws, M.I., Ballard, C., Mullins, C.E., Garwood, N.C., Murray, B., Pearson, T.R.H. and Burslem, D.F.R.P. (2007) Allometric relationship between seed mass and seedling characteristics reveal trade-offs for neotropical pioneer species. Oecologia (in press).Google Scholar
Dietrich, W.E., Windsor, D.M. and Dunne, T. (1982) Geology, climate and hydrology of Barro Colorado Island. pp. 21–46in Leigh, E.G.; Rand, A.S.; Windsor, D.M. (Eds) The ecology of a tropical forest: Seasonal rhythms and long-term changes. Washington, DC, Smithsonian Institution Press.Google Scholar
Doussi, M.A. and Thanos, C.A. (2002) Ecophysiology of seed germination in Mediterranean geophytes. 1. Muscari spp. Seed Science Research 12, 193–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engelbrecht, B.M.J., Dalling, J.W., Pearson, T.R.H., Wolf, R.L., Gálvez, D.A., Koehler, T., Tyree, M.T. and Kursar, T.A. (2006) Short dry spells in the wet season increase mortality of tropical pioneer seedlings. Oecologia 148, 258–269.Google Scholar
Evenari, M., Shanan, L. and Tadmor, N. (1971) The Negev: The challenge of a desert. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Garwood, N.C. (1983) Seed germination in a seasonal tropical forest in Panama: a community study. Ecological Monographs 53, 159–181.Google Scholar
Harper, J.L. (1977) Population biology of plants. London, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Hong, T.D. and Ellis, R.H. (1992) The survival of germinating orthodox seeds after desiccation and hermetic storage. Journal of Experimental Botany 43, 239–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kermode, A. and Finch-Savage, W.E. (2002) Desiccation sensitivity in orthodox and recalcitrant seeds in relation to development. pp. 149–184in Black, M.; Pritchard, H.W. (Eds) Desiccation and survival in plants: Drying without dying. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing.Google Scholar
Leigh, E.G. (1999) Tropical forest ecology: A view from Barro Colorado Island. Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Leigh, E.G., Rand, A.S. and Windsor, D.M. (1982) The ecology of a tropical forest: Seasonal rhythms and long-term changes. Washington, DC, Smithsonian Institution Press.Google Scholar
Lin, T.-P., Yen, W.-L. and Chien, C.-T. (1998) Disappearance of desiccation tolerance of imbibed crop seeds is not associated with the decline of oligosaccharides. Journal of Experimental Botany 49, 1203–1212.Google Scholar
Osborne, D.J. and Boubriak, I.I. (1994) DNA and desiccation tolerance. Seed Science Research 4, 175–185.Google Scholar
Pammenter, N.W., Berjak, P., Wesley-Smith, J. and Vander Willigen, C. (2002) Experimental aspects of drying and recovery. pp. 93–110in Black, M.; Pritchard, H.W. (Eds) Desiccation and survival in plants: Drying without dying. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing.Google Scholar
Pearson, T.R.H., Burslem, D.F.R.P., Mullins, C.E. and Dalling, J.W. (2002) Germination ecology of neotropical pioneers: interacting effects of environmental conditions and seed size. Ecology 83, 2798–2807.Google Scholar
Pearson, T.R.H., Burslem, D.F.R.P., Goeriz, R.E. and Dalling, J.W. (2003) Regeneration niche partitioning in neotropical pioneers: effects of gap size, seasonal drought and herbivory on growth and survival. Oecologia 137, 456–465.Google Scholar
Reisdorph, N.A. and Koster, K.L. (1999) Progressive loss of desiccation tolerance in germinating pea (Pisum sativum) seeds. Physiologia Plantarum 105, 266–271.Google Scholar
Smith, B.D. (1998) The emergence of agriculture. New York, Scientific American Library.Google Scholar
Swaine, M.D. and Whitmore, T.C. (1988) On the definition of ecological species groups in tropical rain forests. Vegetatio 75, 81–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thanos, C.A. and Doussi, M.A. (1995a) Ecophysiology of seed-germination in endemic Labiates of Crete. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 43, 227–237.Google Scholar
Thanos, C.A., Kadis, C.C. and Skarou, F. (1995b) Ecophysiology of germination in the aromatic plants thyme, savory and oregano (Labiatae). Seed Science Research 5, 161–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vázquez-Yanes, C. and Smith, H. (1982) Phytochrome control of seed germination in the tropical rain forest pioneer trees Cecropia obtusifolia and Piper auritum and its ecological significance. New Phytologist 92, 477–485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veenendaal, E.M., Swaine, M.D., Agyeman, V.K., Blay, D., Abebrese, I.K. and Mullins, C.E. (1995) Differences in plant and soil water relations in and around a forest gap in West Africa during the dry season may influence seedling establishment and survival. Journal of Ecology 83, 83–90.Google Scholar