Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T05:23:04.288Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seed size and shape are good predictors of seed persistence in soil in temperate mountain grasslands of Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

Guillermo Funes ,
Sandra Basconcelo ,
Sandra Díaz  and
Marcelo Cabido
Guillermo Funes*
Affiliation:
Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Casilla de Correo 495, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina
Sandra Basconcelo
Affiliation:
Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Casilla de Correo 495, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina
Sandra Díaz
Affiliation:
Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Casilla de Correo 495, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina
Marcelo Cabido
Affiliation:
Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Casilla de Correo 495, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina
*
*Correspondence Fax: +54 351 4332104 Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We tested whether seed mass and shape are good predictors of seed persistence in the soil of subhumid temperate montane grasslands of central Argentina. We plotted seed mass against variance of seed dimensions of 71 herbaceous species and obtained information on their persistence in the soil from a previous experiment on germinable seed banks. We identified a certain seed mass/shape combination beyond which no seed was persistent in the soil, with the exception of the annual Tagetes minuta. Our results confirmed the patterns previously reported for British species: small and compact seeds tend to persist in the soil for a longer time than big and elongated or flattened seeds. We suggest that the value of seed mass and shape as predictors of persistence in the soil can be extended beyond the British flora to herbaceous floras from other humid temperate regions.

Keywords

dormancygrasslandseed bankseed massseed shape
Type
Research Article
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , April 1999 , pp. 341 - 345
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

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.)

References

Astegiano, M. (1987) Estudios morfológicos y taxonómicos sobre Sporobolus y géneros afines (Poaceae) de Argentina, con especial referencia a las especies de la región. PhD Thesis, University of Córdoba.Google Scholar
Bakker, J.P. (1989) Nature management by grazing and cutting. On the ecological significance of grazing and cutting regimes applied to restore former species-rich grassland communities in the Netherlands. Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
Bakker, J.P., Bakker, E.S., Rosén, E., Verweij, G.L. and Bekker, R.M. (1996a) Soil seed bank composition along a gradient from dry alvar to Juniperus shrubland. Journal of Vegetation Science 7, 165–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bakker, J.P., Poschlod, P., Strykstra, R.J., Bekker, R.M. and Thompson, K. (1996b) Seed banks and seed dispersal: Important topics in restoration ecology. Acta Botanica Neerlandica 45, 461–490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bekker, R.M. (1998) The ecology of soil seed banks in grassland ecosystems. PhD Thesis, University of Groningen.Google Scholar
Bekker, R.M., Bakker, J.P., Grandin, U., Kalamees, R., Milberg, P., Poschlod, P., Thompson, K. and Willems, J.H. (1998) Seed size, shape and vertical distribution in the soil: Indicators of seed longevity. Functional Ecology 12, 834–842.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cabrera, A.L. (1963–1970) Flora de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Colección científica del INTA, Buenos Aires.Google Scholar
Capitanelli, , (1979) Clima. pp 45–138in Vazquez, J.; Miatello, R.; Roqué, M. (Eds) Geografía física de la Provincia de Córdoba. Buenos Aires, Boldt.Google Scholar
Correa, M. (1969–1984) Flora patagónica (República Argentina), partes II, III, IVa, IVb. INTA, Buenos Aires.Google Scholar
Díaz, S., Cabido, M. and Casanoves, F. (1998) Plant functional traits and environmental filters at a regional scale. Journal of Vegetation Science 9, 113–122.Google Scholar
Fenner, M. (1985). Seed ecology. London, Chapman & Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Funes, G., Basconcelo, S., Díaz, S. and Cabido, M. (1999) Seed bank dynamics of Lachemilla pinnata (Rosaceae) in different plant communities of mountain grasslands in central Argentina. Annales Botanici Fennici 36, 109–114.Google Scholar
Hodgson, J.G. and Grime, J.P. (1990) The role of dispersal mechanisms, regenerative strategies and seed banks in the vegetation dynamics of the British landscape. pp 65–81in Bunce, R.G.H.; Howard, D.C. (Eds) Species dispersal in agricultural habitats. London, Belhaven.Google Scholar
Keddy, P.A. and Reznicek, A.A. (1982) The role of the seed banks in the persistence of Ontario's coastal plain flora. American Journal of Botany 69, 13–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leck, M.A. (1989) Wetland seed banks. pp 238–305in Leck, M.A.; Parker, V.P.; Simpson, R.L. (Eds) Ecology of soil seed banks. San Diego, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Leishman, M.R. and Westoby, M. (1998) Seed size and shape are not related to persistence in soil in Australia in the same way as in Britain. Functional Ecology 12, 480–485.Google Scholar
McDonald, A.W., Bakker, J.P. and Vegelin, K. (1996) Seed bank classification and its importance for the restoration of species-rich flood-meadows. Journal of Vegetation Science 7, 157–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perring, F.H. and Walters, S.M. (1962) Atlas of the British flora. London, Nelson.Google Scholar
Thompson, K., Band, S.R. and Hodgson, J.G. (1993) Seed size and shape predict persistence in soil. Functional Ecology 7, 236–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, K., Bakker, J.P. and Bekker, R.M. (1997) The soil seed banks of North West Europe: methodology, density and longevity. Cambridge, University Press.Google Scholar
Thompson, K., Bakker, J.P., Bekker, R.M. and Hodgson, J.G. (1998) Ecological correlates of seed persistence in soil in the north-west European flora. Journal of Ecology 86, 163–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsuyuzaki, S. (1991) Survival characteristics of buried seeds 10 years after the eruption of the Usu volcano in northern Japan. Canadian Journal of Botany 69, 2251–2256.Google Scholar
Van Der Valk, A.G. and Pedersen, R.L. (1989) Seed banks and the management and restoration of natural vegetation. pp 329–346in Leck, M.A.; Parker, V.T.; Simpson, R.L. (Eds) Ecology of soil seed banks. San Diego, Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Der Valk, A.G. and Verhoeven, J.T.A. (1988) Potential role of seed banks and understorey vegetation in restoring quaking fens from floating forests. Vegetatio 76, 3–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Venable, D.L. and Brown, J.S. (1988) The selective interactions of dispersal, dormancy and seed size as adaptations for reducing risks in variable environments. The American Naturalist 131, 360–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Westoby, M., Jurado, E. and Leishman, M. (1992) Comparative evolutionary ecology of seed size. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 7, 368–372.Google Scholar