Seed germination traits can contribute better to plant community ecology

Abstract

Analyses of functional traits have become fundamental tools for understanding patterns and processes in plant community ecology. In this context, regenerative seed traits play an important, yet overlooked, role because they largely determine the ability of plants to disperse and re-establish. A survey of recent publications in community ecology suggests that seed germination traits in particular are neglected at the expense of other relevant but overused traits based only on seed morphology. As a response to this bias, we discuss the functional significance of seed germination traits in comparison with morphological and biophysical seed traits, and advocate their use in vegetation science. We also demonstrate how research in community assembly, climate change and restoration ecology can benefit from the inclusion of germination traits, encompassing functions that cannot be explained solely by adult plant traits. Seed germination experiments conducted in the laboratory or field to quantify these traits provide ecologically meaningful and relatively easy-to-obtain information about the functional properties of plant communities. We argue that bridging the gap between seed physiologists and community ecologists will improve the prediction of plant assemblages, and propose further perspectives for including seed traits into the research agenda of functional community ecologists.

Temperature but not moisture response of germination shows phylogenetic constraints while both interact with seed mass and lifespan

“…This contrasts with findings that show adaptations of seeds and seedlings determining range limits, community assembly, and population dynamics (Morin et al, 2007;Poorter, 2007;Donohue et al, 2010;Huang et al, 2016;Jiménez-Alfaro et al, 2016). Harper et al (1965) and Grubb (1977) demonstrated how important 'regeneration niches' and 'safe sites' are by showing that biotic and abiotic environments of plants during germination, establishment of seedlings and onward growth determine position and success of adults.…”

The effect of soil inoculants on seed germination of native and invasive species

“…Germination is a particularly vulnerable stage in the plant life cycle, representing the transition from the seed to an actively-growing seedling. Supporting this transition is key to the successful establishment of newly introduced native species, and disrupting this transition could provide a means to reduce the abundance of invasive species (Jimenez-Alfaro et al 2016). Invasive species are able to outcompete or displace native species, and the timing of germination, along with the overall proportion of seeds that germinate (hereafter percent germination) seem to play an important role in their success (Guthrie et al 2016;Vaughn and Young 2015).…”

Seeds at the forefront: synthesis of the inaugural National Seed Science Forum and future directions in Australian seed science

“…Increasingly, an ecologically-guided approach is resolving dormancy and germination characteristics, particularly by considering the biotic and abiotic factors influencing regeneration and seedling establishment in the field. Regeneration traits of species can be used to inform and better understand the patterns and processes in plant community ecology for restoration and threatened species conservation (Jiménez-Alfaro et al 2016;Merino-Martín et al 2017). Such seed (and plant) trait data have yielded many discoveries on the ecology and evolution of Australian plants (Moles 2018) and ongoing work to understand the influence of such morphological and physiological traits with key life history stages such as dispersal (e.g.…”