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Temporal dynamics of seedling emergence among four fire ephemerals: the interplay of after-ripening and embryo growth with smoke

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2019

Siti N. Hidayati Open the ORCID record for Siti N. Hidayati [Opens in a new window] ,
David J. Merritt Open the ORCID record for David J. Merritt [Opens in a new window] ,
Shane R. Turner Open the ORCID record for Shane R. Turner [Opens in a new window] ,
Kingsley W. Dixon  and
Jeffrey L. Walck Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey L. Walck [Opens in a new window]
Siti N. Hidayati
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
David J. Merritt
Affiliation:
Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, WA 6005, Australia School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Shane R. Turner
Affiliation:
Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, WA 6005, Australia School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Kingsley W. Dixon
Affiliation:
Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, WA 6005, Australia School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Jeffrey L. Walck*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: Jeffrey L. Walck, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The flora of Mediterranean ecosystems contains families with species having fully and under-developed embryos in their seeds. After-ripening for physiological dormancy release and smoke influence germination in many species. We investigated how after-ripening and embryo growth interact with smoke to influence the temporal dynamics of seedling emergence among fire ephemerals. Seeds were placed in the field and under standardized (50% relative humidity, 30°C) laboratory conditions to test the effects of summer conditions on physiological dormancy loss. Germination was tested with water or smoke compounds (smoke water, KAR1) at a simulated autumn/winter temperature (18/7°C). The timing and amount of seedling emergence with smoke was observed for seeds exposed to near-natural conditions. During summer, physiological dormancy was broken in all species, enabling germination at autumn/winter but not summer temperatures; no embryo growth occurred in seeds with under-developed embryos. At the start of the wet season, seedling emergence from seeds with fully developed embryos occurred earlier than from seeds with under-developed embryos. In a non-consistent manner among our study species, smoke and smoke compounds influenced the rate of embryo growth and amount of germination. Effects of smoke were noticeable in terms of number of emergents in the first emergence season. Among ecologically similar species, we have shown (1) that both thermal and embryo traits exclude germination in the summer, (2) how embryo size influences the timing of seedling emergence in autumn–winter, and (3) a reduced requirement for smoke in the second emergence season after a fire with a shift to reliance on seasonal cues for emergence.

Keywords

embryosephemeralsfireKAR1Mediterranean climateseedling emergencesmokesmoke water
Type
Research Paper
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , June 2019 , pp. 104 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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