Ecologically Meaningful Germination Studies

Baskin, Carol C.; Baskin, Jerry M.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-416677-6.00002-0

Cited by 30 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 211 publications

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“…A small percentage of fruit (8.5%) did not germinate after any of these treatments, but were still considered viable because they remained firm and did not rot. Throughout the course of the germination trials, fruit that were soft and rotten and/or heavily covered by fungi were considered nonviable and removed from the trials ( sensu Baskin & Baskin, , p. 12). For each population we calculated the percentage dormant fruit (number of viable fruit that failed to germinate within 30 d/total number of viable fruit).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal, dormancy and life‐history tradeoffs at the individual, population and species levels in southern African Asteraceae

2015

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SummaryDispersal and dormancy are important risk-reducing strategies in unpredictable environments. Negative covariation between these strategies is theoretically expected, but empirical evidence is limited and inconsistent. Moreover, covariation may be affected by other lifehistory traits and may vary across levels of biological organization.We assessed dispersal (vertical fall time of fruits, a proxy for wind dispersal ability) and dormancy (germination fractions measured during germination trials) in populations of 15 annual and 12 perennial wind-dispersed species in six Asteraceae genera from South Africa.Dormancy was higher in annuals than in perennials, whereas fall time was largely determined by evolutionary history. Controlling for phylogeny, dispersal and dormancy was negatively associated across species and life-history categories. Negative covariation between dispersal and dormancy was not evident at either the individual level (except for seed heteromorphic species) or the population level.Our study provides rare empirical support for the theoretical expectation of tradeoffs between dormancy and the alternative risk-reducing strategies, perenniality and dispersal, but refutes the expectation of increased dispersability in perennials. Although negative covariation between dispersal and dormancy at the species level appears not to be a simple consequence of upscaling individual-level mechanistic tradeoffs, our findings suggest that selection for one strategy may constrain evolution of the other.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal, dormancy and life‐history tradeoffs at the individual, population and species levels in southern African Asteraceae

2015

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“…Laboratory experiments are a standardized tool to investigate germination in a controlled environment and can provide information on germination cues, dormancy, and other factors (Baskin and Baskin 2014). Nonetheless, germination in the laboratory often differs from germination under (semi-)natural conditions (Grime et al 1981;Hölzel and Otte 2004) and thus gives only a limited representation of germination patterns that can be observed in the field.…”

Section: Seed Sampling Seed Handling and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Germination of the invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus depends on cutting date and seed morphology

Klinger¹,

Eckstein²,

Horlemann³

et al. 2020

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In semi-natural grasslands, mowing leads to the dispersal of species that have viable seeds at the right time. For invasive plant species in grasslands, dispersal by mowing should be avoided, and information on the effect of cutting date on the germination of invasive species is needed. We investigated the germination of seeds of the invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. depending on the cutting date. We measured seed traits associated with successful germination that can be assessed by managers for an improved timing of control measures. To this end, we sampled seeds of L. polyphyllus on six cutting dates and analyzed the germination of these seeds in climate chambers and under ambient weather conditions. We collected information on seed morphology (color/size/hardseededness) for each cutting date to identify seed traits associated with successful germination. Observed germination patterns were highly asynchronous and differed between seeds cut at different dates. Seeds cut early, being green and soft, tended to germinate in autumn. Seeds cut late, being dark and hard, were more prone to germinate the following spring, after winter stratification. This allows the species to utilize germination niches throughout the year, thus indicating a bet-hedging strategy. Seed color and the percentage of hard seeds were good predictors of germination percentage, but not of mean germination time and synchrony. Managers should prevent the species producing black and hard seeds, while cutting plants carrying green and soft seeds is less problematic. Furthermore, germination patterns differed between climate chambers and the common garden, mainly because germination of dormant seeds was lower in climate chambers. More germination experiments under ambient weather conditions should be carried out, as they can give information on the germination dynamics of invasive species.

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“…For the other seed dispersal modes (hydro, endozoo-, epizoochory), the elevation of fruits is of lesser importance (van der Pijl, 1982). Seed germination rate and time can be tested in a laboratory (Baskin and Baskin, 2014). The height at which fruits are developed and the potential for wind dispersal can be found in traitbases for most herbs in Europe.…”

Section: Seed Releasing Height Seed Dispersal Mode and Seed Viabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of bioactive mobile telephony radiation at the level of a plant community – Possible mechanisms and indicators of the effects

Czerwiński

Januszkiewicz

Vian

et al. 2020

Ecological Indicators

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Environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile telephony has rapidly increased in the last two decades and this trend is expected to continue. The effects of this exposure at plant community level are unknown and difficult to assess in a scientifically appropriate manner. Such an assessment can be scientifically adequate if a studied plant community is completely new and control-impact radiation treatment is used. In this review we aimed to predict ecological effects and identify indicators of the impact of bioactive RF-EMFs at the mobile telephony frequency range on plant communities. We considered the scenario where a plant community was exposed to radiation generated by a base transmitting station antenna mounted on a nearby mast. This plant community can be represented by mesic meadow, ruderal or arable weed community, or other herbaceous, moderately productive vegetation type. We concentrated primarily on radiation effects that can be recorded for a year since the exposure started. To predict them we used physical theories of radiowave propagation in vegetation and the knowledge on plants physiological responses to RF-EMF. Our indicators can be used for the detection of the impact of RF-EMFs on vegetation in a control-impact experiment. The identified indicators can be classified into the following groups: (1) canopy parameters; (2) plant characteristics to be measured in the field or laboratory in a number of individuals that represent the populations of selected species; (3) community weighted means/medians (CWMs) of plant traits and strategies; (4) the abundance of other organisms that interact with plants and can influence their fitness or population size. The group of canopy parameters includes mean height, vertical vegetation structure and dry weight of above-ground standing phytomass. Plant characteristics requiring biometric sampling in the field are plant height, the number of fruits and seeds, as well as seed viability. The group of plant traits that are calculated as CWMs covers seed releasing height, seed dispersal mode, SLA, leaf orientation, month of germination and flowering, Ellenberg's light indicator value, and the proportion of individuals in the classes of competitors and stress tolerators according to Grime's CSR strategy scheme. The group of "non-plant" indicators includes primarily the frequency of flower visits by beetles, wasps, hoverflies, and bees that have their nests over ground. To detect ecological responses that occur for the first year since a herbaceous community has been exposed to potentially bioactive RF-EMF, the first two indicators groups should be used.

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Ecologically Meaningful Germination Studies

Cited by 30 publications

References 211 publications

Dispersal, dormancy and life‐history tradeoffs at the individual, population and species levels in southern African Asteraceae

Dispersal, dormancy and life‐history tradeoffs at the individual, population and species levels in southern African Asteraceae

Germination of the invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus depends on cutting date and seed morphology

The influence of bioactive mobile telephony radiation at the level of a plant community – Possible mechanisms and indicators of the effects

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