Germination of Six Grassland Herbs in Microsites with Different Water Contents

Oomes, M.J.M.; Elberse, W.Th.

doi:10.2307/2258782

Cited by 66 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A more exciting possibility is that the extreme sensitivity of seeds to their environment allows individuals to achieve diversified germination strategies even in apparently homogeneous environments. Experimental studies have shown that germination is substantially influenced by the microtopography of the soil surface (Oomes & Elberse 1976) and seed orientation (Sheldon 1974), and recent work has shown that more than 30 per cent of the variation in the timing of germination is related to microgradients even within apparently homogeneous growth chambers (Simons & Johnston 2006).…”

Section: The Canonical Example: Seed Dormancy In Annual Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary bet-hedging in the real world: empirical evidence and challenges revealed by plants

2010

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Understanding the adaptations that allow species to live in temporally variable environments is essential for predicting how they may respond to future environmental change. Variation at the intergenerational scale can allow the evolution of bet-hedging strategies: a novel genotype may be favoured over an alternative with higher arithmetic mean fitness if the new genotype experiences a sufficiently large reduction in temporal fitness variation; the successful genotype is said to have traded off its mean and variance in fitness in order to 'hedge its evolutionary bets'. We review the evidence for bet-hedging in a range of simple plant systems that have proved particularly tractable for studying bet-hedging under natural conditions. We begin by outlining the essential theory, reiterating the important distinction between conservative and diversified bet-hedging strategies. We then examine the theory and empirical evidence for the canonical example of bet-hedging: diversification via dormant seeds in annual plants. We discuss the complications that arise when moving beyond this simple case to consider more complex life-history traits, such as flowering size in semelparous perennial plants. Finally, we outline a framework for accommodating these complications, emphasizing the central role that model-based approaches can play.

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Section: The Canonical Example: Seed Dormancy In Annual Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary bet-hedging in the real world: empirical evidence and challenges revealed by plants

2010

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“…Treatments with more microtopographical relief (soil covered with clods or rocks) had greater germination and root growth of chicory plants, Cichorium intybus, than sites with smooth surfaces or with a litter layer (Smith & Capelle, 1992). Furthermore, sufficient water in the soil is essential for seed germination (Oomes & Elberse, 1976), especially in arid environments, and texture of the soil surface may affect both water infiltration and retention (Gutterman, 1993;Kigel, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of litter, soil surface conditions, and microhabitat on Cercocarpus ledifolius Nutt. Seedling emergence and establishment

Ibáñez

Schupp

2002

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Silvertown 1980Silvertown , 1981Fenner 1987;Masuda & Washitani 1990). Furthermore, the canopy structure of the vegetation, which determines both light penetration to the soil surface and microclimate, seems to be an important determinant of the onset of germination and the subsequent fate of seedlings (Oomes & Elberse 1976;Verkaar et al 1983;Fenner 1985;Goldberg 1987). Germination characteristics could therefore play an important role in determining the occurrence of plant species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Germination Strategies During Grassland Succession

Olff¹,

Pegtel²,

Groenendael³

et al. 1994

The Journal of Ecology

101

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. We analysed the germination of 91 herbaceous species in response to a temperature gradient, and to alternating temperatures and stratification (chilling). A principalcomponents analysis revealed that the species were distributed along two statistically independent axes, the first of which primary represented the optimal temperature for germination and the second the rate of germination. 2 These results were further related to data on species replacement during 25 years of succession in grassland after the cessation of fertilizer application but with continued hay making. Separate successional sequences were distinguished for the dry parts and the wet parts of the fields Changes in canopy structure were studied by counting gaps and mapping light at the soil surface. 3 Changes in species composition of species present at the different stages were related to the changes in the germination attributes during the succession towards nutrient-poor grassland. The productive grassland was characterized by rapidly germinating species and in the wetter parts, by those germinating at low temperatures. This might enable these species to escape from light competition by germinating in the autumn or winter, i.e. soon after seed set. The species from the less productive, more open stages germinated more slowly, and responded more clearly to stratification and alternating temperatures. It is therefore likely that germination of most seeds of these species is delayed until the following summer. 4 The importance of the observed interspecific differences in germination characteristics in relation to the observed changes in vegetation structure as an explanation for species replacement during succession is discussed. British Ecological Society

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Germination of Six Grassland Herbs in Microsites with Different Water Contents

Cited by 66 publications

References 5 publications

Evolutionary bet-hedging in the real world: empirical evidence and challenges revealed by plants

Evolutionary bet-hedging in the real world: empirical evidence and challenges revealed by plants

Effects of litter, soil surface conditions, and microhabitat on Cercocarpus ledifolius Nutt. Seedling emergence and establishment

Germination Strategies During Grassland Succession

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