Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T04:19:48.384Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Alleviation of morphophysiological dormancy in seeds of the Australian arid-zone endemic shrub, Hibbertia glaberrima F. Muell. (Dilleniaceae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2018

Emma L. Dalziell Open the ORCID record for Emma L. Dalziell [Opens in a new window] ,
Todd E. Erickson ,
Siti N. Hidayati ,
Jeffrey L. Walck  and
David J. Merritt
Emma L. Dalziell*
Affiliation:
Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, WA, Australia 6005 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia 6009 School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia 6102
Todd E. Erickson
Affiliation:
Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, WA, Australia 6005 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia 6009
Siti N. Hidayati
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
Jeffrey L. Walck
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, Australia 6005 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia 6009
*
Author for correspondence: Emma L. Dalziell, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Morphophysiological dormancy (MPD) is predominantly found in seeds of temperate regions and is uncommon in arid biomes. MPD has been reported in a number of Hibbertia (Dilleniaceae) species of temperate Australia, and in a single species of the arid zone, H. glaberrima. This study aimed to examine the dormancy and germination ecology of seeds of H. glaberrima. Seeds were subjected to temperature stratification treatments designed to mimic summer and autumn conditions in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Seed germination and embryo growth were measured. We also tested the interaction between temperature stratification and cycles of drying and wetting designed to mimic sporadic rainfall events. All temperature and moisture treatments were tested in combination (+/–) with the smoke-derived chemical karrikinolide (KAR1). Exposing dormant seeds to temperatures suitable for warm stratification (35°C) for ≥ 8 weeks, followed by incubation at 25°C, resulted in significantly higher germination compared with non-stratified seeds. Exposing seeds to dry/wet cycling in conjunction with temperature stratification did not significantly increase germination. Exposure to KAR1 increased germination under most conditions. Once seeds are shed during October to December, they are exposed to hot and sporadically wet conditions over summer, allowing MPD to be overcome in a proportion of the seed population. Seeds may germinate in autumn (March to April), in conjunction with cooler temperatures. More deeply dormant individuals may require more than one summer to overcome dormancy. Similar to other species occurring in fire-prone ecosystems, fire also plays a crucial role in the germination ecology of H. glaberrima.

Keywords

dormancy classificationdrylandembryo growthgerminationkarrikinoliderehabilitationrestoration
Type
Short Communication
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 28 , Issue 4 , December 2018 , pp. 286 - 293
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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

Adams, CA, Baskin, JM and Baskin, CC (2011) Using size-class structure to monitor growth of underdeveloped embryos in seeds of three Aristolochia species: implications for seed ecology. Seed Science Research 21, 159–164.Google Scholar
Allan, SM, Adkins, SW, Preston, CA and Bellairs, SM (2004) Improved germination of the Australian natives: Hibbertia commutata, Hibbertia amplexicaulis (Dilleniaceae), Chameascilla corymbosa (Liliaceae), and Leucopogon nutans (Epacridaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 52, 345–351.Google Scholar
Baskin, CC and Baskin, JM (2007) A revision of Martin's seed classification system, with particular reference to his dwarf-seed type. Seed Science Research 17, 11–20.Google Scholar
Baskin, CC and Baskin, JM (2014) Seeds. Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination (2nd edition). San Diego: Academic Press, Elsevier.Google Scholar
Baskin, JM and Baskin, CC (2004) A classification system for seed dormancy. Seed Science Research 14, 1–16.Google Scholar
Burbidge, NT (1943) Ecological succession observed during regeneration of Triodia pungens R. Br. after burning. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 28, 149–156.Google Scholar
Bureau of Meteorology (2018) Climate data online. Available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/data/ (accessed 23 April 2018).Google Scholar
Charles, S, Fu, G, Silberstein, R, Mpelasoka, F, McFarlane, D, Hodgson, G, Teng, J, Gabrovesk, C, Ali, R, Barron, O, Aryal, S, Dawes, W, van Niel, T and Chiew, F (2013) Interim report on the hydroclimate of the Pilbara past, present and future. A report to the Western Australian Government and industry partners from the CSIRO Pilbara Water Resource Assessment, CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country, Australia.Google Scholar
Dixon, KW, Roche, S and Pate, JS (1995) The promotive effect of smoke derived from burnt native vegetation on seed germination of Western Australian plants. Oecologia 101, 185–192.Google Scholar
Dwyer, JM and Erickson, TE (2016) Warmer seed environments increase germination fractions in Australian winter annual plant species. Ecosphere 7, e01497.Google Scholar
Erickson, TE (2015) Seed dormancy and germination traits of 89 arid zone species targeted for mine-site restoration in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. PhD thesis, The University of Western Australia. Perth, Western Australia.Google Scholar
Erickson, TE, Barrett, RL, Merritt, DJ and Dixon, KW (eds) (2016a) Pilbara Seed Atlas and Field Guide: Plant Restoration in Australia's Arid Northwest. Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.Google Scholar
Erickson, TE, Barrett, RL, Symons, DR, Turner, SR and Merritt, DJ (2016b) An atlas to the plants and seeds of the Pilbara region, in Erickson, TE, Barrett, RL, Merritt, DJ and Dixon, KW (eds), Pilbara Seed Atlas and Field Guide: Plant Restoration in Australia's Arid Northwest. Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.Google Scholar
Erickson, TE, Merritt, DJ and Turner, SR (2016c) Seed dormancy and germination of arid zone species, in Erickson, TE, Barrett, RL, Merritt, DJ and Dixon, KW (eds), Pilbara Seed Atlas and Field Guide: Plant Restoration in Australia's Arid Northwest. Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.Google Scholar
Erickson, TE, Muñoz-Rojas, M, Kildisheva, OA, Stokes, BA, White, SA, Heyes, JL, Dalziell, EL, Lewandrowski, W, James, JJ, Madsen, MD, Turner, SR and Merritt, DJ (2017) Benefits of adopting seed-based technologies for rehabilitation in the mining sector: a Pilbara perspective. Australian Journal of Botany 65, 646–660.Google Scholar
Erickson, TE, Shackelford, N, Dixon, KW, Turner, SR and Merritt, DJ (2016d) Overcoming physiological dormancy in seeds of Triodia (Poaceae) to improve restoration in the arid zone. Restoration Ecology 24, S65–76.Google Scholar
Flematti, GR, Ghisalberti, EL, Dixon, KW and Trengove, RD (2004) A compound from smoke that promotes seed germination. Science 305, 977.Google Scholar
Gorecki, MJ, Long, RL, Flematti, GR and Stevens, JC (2012) Parental environment change the dormancy state and karrikinolide response of Brassica tournefortii seeds. Annals of Botany 109, 1369–1378.Google Scholar
Hidayati, SN, Walck, JL, Merritt, DJ, Turner, SR, Turner, DW and Dixon, KW (2012) Sympatric species of Hibbertia (Dilleniaceae) vary in dormancy break and germination requirements: implications for classifying morphophysiological dormancy in Mediterranean biomes. Annals of Botany 109, 1111–1123.Google Scholar
Horn, JW (2007) Dilleniaceae, pp. 132–154 in Kubitzki, K (ed), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Berlin, Springer.Google Scholar
Hoyle, G, Daws, M, Steadman, K and Adkins, S (2008) Mimicking a semi-arid tropical environment achieves dormancy alleviation for seeds of Australian native Goodeniaceae and Asteraceae. Annals of Botany 101, 701.Google Scholar
Kos, M, Baskin, CC and Baskin, JM (2012) Relationship of kinds of seed dormancy with habitat and life history in the Southern Kalahari flora. Journal of Vegetation Science 23, 869–879.Google Scholar
Lewandrowski, W, Erickson, TE, Dalziell, EL and Stevens, JC (2018) Ecological niche and bet-hedging strategies for Triodia (R.Br.) seed germination. Annals of Botany 121, 367–375.Google Scholar
Lewandrowski, W, Erickson, TE, Dixon, KW and Stevens, JC (2017) Increasing the germination envelope under water stress improves seedling emergence in two dominant grass species across different pulse rainfall events. Journal of Applied Ecology 54, 997–1007.Google Scholar
Martin, AC (1946) The comparative internal morphology of seeds. American Midland Naturalist 36, 513–660.Google Scholar
Merino-Martín, L, Courtauld, C, Commander, L, Turner, S, Lewandrowski, W and Stevens, J (2017) Interactions between seed functional traits and burial depth regulate germination and seedling emergence under water stress in species from semi-arid environments. Journal of Arid Environments 147, 25–33.Google Scholar
Merritt, DJ and Dixon, KW (2011) Restoration seed banks – a matter of scale. Science 332, 424–425.Google Scholar
Moore, P (2005) A Guide to Plants of Inland Australia. Sydney, Australia: Reed New Holland.Google Scholar
Muñoz-Rojas, M, Erickson, TE, Martini, D, Dixon, KW and Merritt, DJ (2016) Soil physicochemical and microbiological indicators of short, medium, and long term post-fire recovery in semi-arid ecosystems. Ecological Indicators 63, 14–22.Google Scholar
Nikolaeva, MG (1977) Factors controlling the seed dormancy pattern, pp 51–74 in Kahn, AA (ed), The Physiology and Biochemistry of Seed Dormancy and Germination. Amsterdam, North Holland.Google Scholar
R Core Team (2017) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing.Google Scholar
Roche, S, Koch, JM and Dixon, KW (1997) Smoke enhanced seed germination for mine rehabilitation in the southwest of Western Australia. Restoration Ecology 5, 191–203.Google Scholar
Schatral, A (1996) Dormancy in seeds of Hibbertia hypericoides (Dilleniaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 44, 213–222.Google Scholar
Schatral, A, Osborne, J and Fox, J (1997) Dormancy in seeds of Hibbertia cuneiformis and H. huegelii (Dilleniaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 45, 1045–1053.Google Scholar
Turner, SR, Lewandrowski, W, Elliott, CP, Merino-Martín, L, Miller, BP, Stevens, JC, Erickson, TE and Merritt, DJ (2017) Seed ecology informs restoration approaches for threatened species in water-limited environments: a case study on the short-range Banded Ironstone endemic Ricinocarpos brevis (Euphorbiaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 65, 661–677.Google Scholar
Western Australian Herbarium (1998–) FloraBase. The Western Australian Flora, Department of Parks and Wildlife. Available at: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Wheeler, JR, Rye, BL, Koch, BL and Wilson, AJG (eds) (1992) Flora of the Kimberley Region. Como, Western Australia: Deparment of Conservation and Land Management.Google Scholar
Willis, CG, Baskin, CC, Baskin, JM, Auld, JA, Venable, DL, Cavender-Bares, J, Donohue, K, de Casas, RR and the NESCent Germination Working Group (2014) The evolution of seed dormancy: environmental cues, evolutionary hubs, and diversification of the seed plants. New Phytologist 203, 300–309.Google Scholar
Wulff, A, Turner, SR, Fogliani, B and L'Huillier, L (2012) Smoke stimulates germination in two divergent Gondwanan species (Hibbertia pancheri and Scaevola montana) endemic to the biodiversity hotspot of New Caledonia. Seed Science Research 22, 311–316.Google Scholar