Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T16:31:44.387Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Exploring seed longevity of UK native trees: implications for ex situ conservation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2020

Rachael M. Davies*
Affiliation:
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst Place, ArdinglyRH17 6TN, UK
Alice R. Hudson
Affiliation:
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst Place, ArdinglyRH17 6TN, UK
John B. Dickie
Affiliation:
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst Place, ArdinglyRH17 6TN, UK
Charlotte Cook
Affiliation:
The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, WokingGU24 0NF, UK
Tom O'Hara
Affiliation:
John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, NorwichNR4 7UH, UK
Clare Trivedi
Affiliation:
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst Place, ArdinglyRH17 6TN, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Rachael M. Davies, E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

UK trees require increased conservation efforts due to sparse and fragmented populations. Ex situ conservation, including seed banking, can be used to better manage these issues. We conducted accelerated ageing tests on seeds of 22 UK native woody species, in order to assess their likely longevity and optimize their conservation in a seed bank. Germination at four ageing time points was determined to construct survival curves, and it was concluded that multiple samples within a species showed comparable responses for most species tested, except for Fraxinus excelsior. Of all species studied, one could be classified as very short-lived, four as short-lived and 17 as medium, with none exceeding the medium category. The most important finding of this manuscript is that although some taxonomic trends were observed, the results indicate the need for caution when making broad conclusions on potential seed storage life at a species, genus or family level. Longevity predictions were compared to actual performance of older collections held in long-term storage at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew. Although most collections remain high in viability in storage after more than 20 years, for short-lived species at least, there is some indication that accelerated ageing predicts longevity in seed bank conditions. For species with reduced potential longevity, such as Fagus sylvatica and Ulmus glabra, additional storage options are recommended for long-term gene banking.

Type
Research Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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

Ali, N, Probert, R, Hay, F, Davies, H and Stuppy, W (2007) Post-dispersal embryo growth and acquisition of desiccation tolerance in Anemone nemorosa L. seeds. Seed Science Research 17, 155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballesteros, D and Walters, C (2011) Detailed characterization of mechanical properties and molecular mobility within dry seed glasses: relevance to the physiology of dry biological systems. Plant Journal 68, 607619.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chmielarz, P (2007) Kriogeniczne przechowywanie nasion leśnych drzew liściastych z kategorii orthodox I suborthodox (intermediate). Poland, Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe.Google Scholar
Chmielarz, P (2009) Cryopreservation of dormant European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) orthodox seeds. Tree Physiology 29, 12791285.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chmielarz, P (2010a) Cryopreservation of orthodox seeds of Alnus glutinosa. Cryoletters 31, 139146.Google Scholar
Chmielarz, P (2010b) Cryopreservation of dormant orthodox seeds of European hornbeam Carpinus betulus. Seed Science and Technology 38, 146157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chmielarz, P (2010c) Cryopreservation of conditionally dormant orthodox seeds of Betula pendula. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 32, 591596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chmielarz, P (2010d) Cryopreservation of the non-dormant orthodox seeds of Ulmus glabra. Acta Biologica Hungarica 61, 224233.Google Scholar
Coker, LT, Rozsypálek, J, Edwards, A, Harwood, TP, Butfoy, L and Buggs, RJA (2019) Estimating mortality rates of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) under the ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) epidemic. Plants, People, Planet 1, 4858.Google Scholar
Colville, L and Pritchard, HW (2019) Seed life span and food security. New Phytologist 224, 557562.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
CPC (2018) CPC best plant conservation practices to support species survival in the wild. Available at: https://www.publicgardens.org/resources/cpc-best-plant-conservation-practices-support-species-survival-wild (accessed 13 December 2019).Google Scholar
Davies, RM, Di Sacco, A and Newton, R (2015a) Germination testing: procedures and evaluation. Technical Information Sheet_13a. Ardingly, UK, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Google Scholar
Davies, RM, Di Sacco, A and Newton, R (2015b) Germination testing: environmental factors and dormancy-breaking treatments. Technical Information Sheet_13b. Ardingly, UK, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Google Scholar
Davies, RM, Newton, RJ, Hay, FR and Probert, RJ (2016) 150-seed comparative longevity protocol – a reduced seed number screening method for identifying short-lived seed conservation collections. Seed Science and Technology 44, 569584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daws, MI, Garwood, NC and Pritchard, HW (2006) Prediction of desiccation sensitivity in seeds of woody species: a probabilistic model based on two seed traits and 104 species. Annals of Botany 97, 667674.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Defra (2018) Tree Health Resilience Strategy: building the resilience of our trees, woods and forests to pests and diseases. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/710719/tree-health-resilience-strategy.pdf (accessed 13 December 2019).Google Scholar
Defra (2019) Conserving our ash trees and mitigating the impacts of pests and diseases of ash: a vision and high level strategy for ash research. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/806872/ash-research-strategy-2019a.pdf (accessed 13 December 2019).Google Scholar
Ellis, R and Roberts, E (1980) Improved equations for the prediction of seed longevity. Annals of Botany 45, 1330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R and Roberts, E (1985) Handbook of seed technology for genebanks. Volume 1. Principle and methodology. Rome, International Board for Plant Genetic Resources.Google Scholar
Ellis, RH, Hong, TD and Roberts, EH (1990) An intermediate category of seed storage behaviour? I. Coffee. Journal of Experimental Botany 41, 11671174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eurostat (2015) Land cover statistics. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Land_cover_statistics (accessed 17 January 2019).Google Scholar
FAO (2014) Genebank standards for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3704e.pdf (accessed 17 December 2019).Google Scholar
Forest Research (2018) Forestry statistics. Retrieved from IFOS-Statistics, Forest Research, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7AT: www.forestresearch.gov.uk/statistics/ (accessed 17 January 2019).Google Scholar
Gargiulo, R, Saubin, M, Rizzuto, G, West, B, Fay, MF, Kallow, S and Trivedi, C (2019) Genetic diversity in British populations of Taxus baccata L.: is the seedbank collection representative of the genetic variation in the wild? Biological Conservation 233, 289297.Google Scholar
Gosling, P (1991) Beechnut storage: a review and practical interpretation of the scientific literature. Forestry 64, 5159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamston, TJ, de Vere, N, King, RA, Pellicer, J, Fay, MF, Cresswell, JE and Stevens, JR (2018) Apomixis and hybridization drives reticulate evolution and phyletic differentiation in Sorbus L.: implications for conservation. Frontiers in Plant Science 9, 1796.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harrington, JF (1970) Seed and pollen storage for conservation of plant gene resources, pp. 501522in Frankel, OH and Bennett, E (Eds) Genetic resources in plants: their exploration and conservation. IBP Handbook No 11. Oxford, Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Hay, FR and Probert, RJ (1995) Seed maturity and the effects of different drying conditions on desiccation tolerance and seed longevity in Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea L.). Annals of Botany 76, 639647.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hay, FR and Probert, RJ (2013) Advances in seed conservation of wild plant species: a review of recent research. Conservation Physiology 1, 11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hay, FR and Whitehouse, KJ (2017) Rethinking the approach to viability monitoring in seed genebanks. Conservation Physiology 5, cox009.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hay, F, Klin, J and Probert, R (2006) Can a post-harvest ripening treatment extend the longevity of Rhododendron L. seeds? Scientia Horticulturae Amsterdam 111, 8083.Google Scholar
Hay, FR, Mead, A and Bloomberg, M (2014) Modelling seed germination in response to continuous variables: use and limitations of probit analysis and alternative approaches. Seed Science Research 24, 165186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoban, S, Kallow, S and Trivedi, C (2018) Implementing a new approach to effective conservation of genetic diversity, with ash (Fraxinus excelsior) in the UK as a case study. Biological Conservation 225, 1021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hong, TD, Linington, SH and Ellis, RH (1998) Compendium of information on seed storage behaviour. vol. I. Ardingly, UK, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Google Scholar
IPF (2012) The independent panel on Forestry Final Report 2012. Available at: https://treecharter.uk/pdf/ABOUT_NOW-Independent-Panel-on-Forestry-Final-Report.pdf (accessed 17 December 2019).Google Scholar
Kalemba, EM, Janowiak, F and Pukacka, S (2009) Desiccation tolerance acquisition in developing beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seeds: the contribution of dehydrin-like protein. Trees – Structure and Function 23, 305315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kallow, S and Trivedi, C (2017) Collecting genetic variation on a small island, pp. 129136in Sniezko, RA; Man, G; Hipkins, V; Woeste, K; Gwaze, D; Kliejunas, JT and McTeague, BA (Eds) Proceedings of Workshop: Gene Conservation of Tree Species—Banking on the Future, May 1619. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-963. Portland, OR: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station 963.Google Scholar
Kochanek, J, Buckley, YM, Probert, RJ, Adkins, SW and Steadman, KJ (2010) Pre-zygotic parental environment modulates seed longevity. Austral Ecology 35, 837848.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, DZ and Pritchard, HW (2009) The science and economics of ex situ plant conservation. Trends in Plant Science 14, 614621.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Logan, SA, Phuekvilai, P and Wolff, K (2015) Ancient woodlands in the limelight: delineation and genetic structure of ancient woodland species Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos (Tiliaceae) in the UK. Tree Genetics and Genomes 11, 52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Long, RL, Gorecki, MJ, Renton, M, Scott, JK, Colville, L, Goggin, DE, Commander, LE, Westcott, DA, Cherry, H and Finch-Savage, WE (2015) The ecophysiology of seed persistence: a mechanistic view of the journey to germination or demise. Biological Reviews 90, 3159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, AC (1946) The comparative internal morphology of seeds. American Naturalist 36, 513660.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merritt, DJ, Martyn, AJ, Ainsley, P, Young, RE, Seed, LU, Thorpe, M, Hay, FR, Commander, LE, Shackelford, N, Offord, CA, Dixon, KW and Probert, RJ (2014) A continental-scale study of seed lifespan in experimental storage examining seed, plant, and environmental traits associated with longevity. Biodiversity and Conservation 23, 10811104.Google Scholar
Michalak, M, Plitta-Michalak, BP and Chmielarz, P (2015) Desiccation tolerance and cryopreservation of wild apple (Malus sylvestris) seeds. Seed Science and Technology 43, 480491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mondoni, A, Probert, RJ, Rossi, G, Vegini, E and Hay, FR (2011) Seeds of alpine plants are short lived: implications for long-term conservation. Annals of Botany 107, 171179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MSB (2015) The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Seed Conservation Standards for ‘MSB Partnership collections’. Available at: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/Content/Projects/msbp/resources/Training/MSBP-Seed-Conservation-Standards.pdf (accessed 17 December 2019).Google Scholar
Nagel, M, Seal, CE, Colville, L, Rodenstein, A, Un, S, Richter, J, Pritchard, HW, Börner, A and Kranner, I (2019) Wheat seed ageing viewed through the cellular redox environment and changes in pH. Free Radical Research 53, 641654.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nuc, K, Marszalek, M and Pukacki, PM (2016) Cryopreservation changes the DNA methylation of embryonic axes of Quercus robur and Fagus sylvatica seeds during in vitro culture. Trees – Structure and Function 30, 18311841.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oddou-Muratorio, S, Klein, EK and Austerlitz, F (2005) Pollen flow in the wild service tree, Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz. II. Pollen dispersal and heterogeneity in mating success inferred from parent-offspring analysis. Molecular Ecology 14, 44414452.Google Scholar
Poulsen, KM (1993) Predicting the storage life of beech nuts. Seed Science and Technology 21, 327337.Google Scholar
Poulsen, KM and Knudsen, H (1999) Viability constants based on eight years storage of beech nuts (Fagus sylvatica L.). Seed Science and Technology 27, 10371039.Google Scholar
Pritchard, HW, Moat, JF, Ferraz, JB, Marks, TR, Camargo, JLC, Nadarajan, J and Ferraz, ID (2014) Innovative approaches to the preservation of forest trees. Forest Ecology and Management 333, 8898.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Probert, RJ, Daws, MI and Hay, FR (2009) Ecological correlates of ex situ seed longevity: a comparative study on 195 species. Annals of Botany 104, 5769.Google ScholarPubMed
Pukacka, S and Ratajczak, E (2007) Age-related biochemical changes during storage of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seeds. Seed Science Research 17, 4553.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pukacka, S, Hoffmann, SK, Goslar, J, Pukacki, PM and Wójkiewicz, E (2003) Water and lipid relations in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seeds and its effect on storage behaviour. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – General Subjects 1621, 4856.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
R Core Team (2019) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. Available at: https://www.R-project.org/.Google Scholar
Roberts, EH (1973) Predicting the storage life of seeds. Seed Science and Technology 1, 499514.Google Scholar
Robledo-Arnuncio, JJ and Gill, L (2005) Patterns of pollen dispersal in a small population of Pinus sylvestris L. revealed by total-exclusion paternity analysis. Heredity 94, 1322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roos, EE (1982) Induced genetic changes in seed germplasm during storage, pp. 409434in Khan, AA (Ed) The physiology and biochemistry of seed development, dormancy and germination. New York, Elsevier Biomedical Press.Google Scholar
Satyanti, A, Nicotra, AB, Merkling, T and Guja, LK (2018) Seed mass and elevation explain variation in seed longevity of Australian alpine species. Seed Science Research 28, 319331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sennikov, A and Kurtto, A (2017) A phylogenetic checklist of Sorbus s.l. (Rosaceae) in Europe. Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica 93, 178.Google Scholar
Simpson, JD, Wang, BSP and Daigle, BI (2004) Long-term seed storage of various Canadian hardwoods and conifers. Seed Science and Technology 32, 561572.Google Scholar
Suszka, B (1987) Storage of after-ripened seeds of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) in the frozen stratification medium, pp 120126in Sympozium, Sbornik Referatu, Okrasné Zahradnictvi, 60 let Zahradnickheho Výzkumu v Č eskoslovensku, Praha 18–21. August.Google Scholar
Sutherland, BG, Belaj, A, Nier, S, Cottrell, JE, Vaughan, SP, Hubert, J and Russell, K (2010) Molecular biodiversity and population structure in common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) in Britain: implications from conservation. Molecular Ecology 19, 21962211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trivedi, C and Kallow, S (2017) Benefits and challenges for gene conservation: a view from the UK National Tree Seed Project, pp. 4447in Sniezko, RA; Man, G; Hipkins, V; Woeste, K; Gwaze, D; Kliejunas, JT and McTeague, BA (Eds) Proceedings of Workshop: Gene Conservation of Tree Species—Banking on the Future, May 16–19. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-963. Portland, OR: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station 963.Google Scholar
Trivedi, C, Cavers, S, Atkinson, N, Clark, J and Cottrell, J (2019) A Strategy for UK Forest Genetic Resources: protecting the UK's unique diversity of trees and shrubs. Available at: https://www.kew.org/sites/default/files/2019-06/UK%20Forest%20Genetic%20Resources%20Strategy.pdf (accessed 13 December 2019).Google Scholar
UNEP (2014) The UK National Ecosystem Assessment: synthesis of the key findings. UK, UNEP-WCMC, LWEC.Google Scholar
Wager, J (1996) Changes in dormancy levels of Fraxinus excelsior L. embryos at different stages of morphological and physiological maturity. Trees 10, 177182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walters, C (2015a) Orthodoxy, recalcitrance and in-between: describing variation in seed storage characteristics using threshold responses to water loss. Planta 242, 397406.Google Scholar
Walters, C (2015b) Genebanking seeds from natural populations. Natural Areas Journal 35, 98105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walters, C, Wheeler, L and Stanwood, PC (2004) Longevity of cryogenically stored seeds. Cryobiology 48, 229244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walters, C, Walters, C, Wheeler, LM and Grotenhuis, JM (2005) Longevity of seeds stored in a genebank: species characteristics. Seed Science Research 15, 120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walters, C, Ballesteros, D and Vertucci, VA (2010) Structural mechanics of seed deterioration: standing the test of time. Plant Science 179, 565573.Google Scholar
Wang, BSP (1974) Tree seed storage. Department of the Environment, Canadian Forest Service, Publication No. 1335.Google Scholar
WCVP (2020) World checklist of vascular plants, version 2.0. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Available at: http://wcvp.science.kew.org/ (accessed 18 February 2020).Google Scholar
Woodland Trust (2011) The state of the UK's forests, woods and trees: perspectives from the sector. Available at: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/1827/state-of-uk-forests.pdf (accessed 13 December 2019).Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Davies et al. supplementary material

Table S1

Download Davies et al. supplementary material(File)
File 18.1 KB