Longevity of experimentally buried seed in Vaccinium: relationship to climate, reproductive factors and natural seed banks

Abstract

Summary 1The fleshy fruited species of Vaccinium are known for their spatial dispersal ability but have generally been found to have poor representation in soil seed banks. 2 A buried seed experiment was conducted with 28 species of Vaccinium , in which seed lots were exhumed at intervals for up to 17 years. Mean species seed longevity was 8.65 years. For five species that persisted in soil for 15-17 years, regression indicates survival times of more than 20 years. 3 Climatic factors (particularly annual temperature range in the centre of the species' distribution range) alone accounted for 42% of the variation in seed longevity and reproductive variables for 55%. 4 Models of fruit dispersal speed (rapid/tardy) demonstrated the link between spatial and temporal (seed longevity) dispersal and between spatial dispersal and habitat affinity (open/closed) of a species. The majority (87%) of species belonged to two of the four possible syndromes (rapid fruit dispersal/long-term seed persistence or tardy dispersal/ short-term persistence); 84% of the former were open habitat species. 5 Seed bank density is a function of seed potential longevity, seed rain and soil conditions. Regions that support species having greatest potential longevity have the smallest seed banks. Annual temperature range was positively correlated with potential longevity but negatively correlated with actual seed bank densities. 6 Lack of recruitment via seed in Vaccinium species in arctic regions may limit genetic variability in these clonal plants and impede population responses to climate changes.

The impact of temperature regimes on development, dormancy breaking and germination of dwarf shrub seeds from arctic, alpine and boreal sites

“…Empetrum nigrum though germinates in the field in some years (McGraw and Shaver 1982). Seed bank studies find very low germination percentages of both species when soils are collected in arctic sites (Fox 1983;Archibold 1984;Ebersole 1989;Molau and Larsson 2000;Cooper et al 2004;Hill and Vander Kloet 2005), compared to samples from boreal sites (Jauhiainen 1998;Alsos et al 2003). However, seeds of both species can remain viable in soil for many years (Molau and Larsson 2000;Hill and Vander Kloet 2005).…”

Moss Propagules Banks in a Secondary Subtropical Moist Forest in Puerto Rico: A First Description

“…In vascular plants, Vaccinium spp. buried seed can have a mean longevity of 8.5 years [29], while Artemisia tridentata seed burial augments its short term longevity [30]. This longevity can explain the persistence of the bryophyte soilburied propagule bank in the period studied.…”

Propagation methods and the effectiveness of fungal inoculation on Vaccinium species native to Central British Columbia.

“…They have suggested that the lack of Vaccinium seeds in the soil cores may be due to fruit being eaten by birds or destroyed by fungal rot, but it is also possible that seed deposits were rare and the cores sampled had no Vaccinium seeds to begin with. Hill and Vander Kloet (2005) found that experimentally buried Vaccinium seed from Nova Scotia had an average longevity of 8.65 years, but some survived the entire 17 years of the study. Regression values suggested that the seed had the potential to survive over 20 years.…”