Seed longevity in terrestrial orchids – Potential for persistent in situ seed banks

Whigham, Dennis F.; O’Neill, John P.; Rasmussen, Henrik; Caldwell, Bruce A.; McCormick, Melissa

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2005.10.029

Cited by 68 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Similar results have been found for Goodyera pubescens, a North American species (Whigham et al 2006). Of the different mycorrhizal fungi used in the experiments, fungi isolated from roots of Coeloglossum viride and protocorms of Goodyera pubescens supported germination ( Fig.…”

Section: The Effect Of the Presence Of A Fungal Symbiont On Germinationsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Asymbiotic germination was carried out on three different media: LIRIO = water mixed with 5% dried and finely ground partly decomposed wood of Liriodendron tulipifera, a medium poor in readily accessible carbon and other nutrients that has been shown to support germination and protocorm growth (i.e. Whigham et al 2006); OAT = 2.5 g finely ground oat in one liter of water gives a medium slightly richer in readily accessible carbon; and P0931 = a commercial medium (Sigma-Aldrich) containing large amounts of readily accessible carbon (sucrose) and all necessary macro-and micronutrients for plant growth, including large amounts of inorganic nitrogen (ammonium nitrate). As OAT gave the best result in the asymbiotic germination of seeds from the 2003 batch, this was the medium mainly used in the subsequent symbiotic germination experiments.…”

Section: Germination In Vitromentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seeds of Liparis lilifolia, for example, will not germinate in the field or laboratory unless an appropriate fungus is present. The same fungus occurs at all life history stages (Whigham et al 2006) and it is very similar genetically across the range of distribution of the orchid (McCormick et al 2004). Beyond the seeding stage, all terrestrial orchids that were examined are mycorrhizal during some part of the growing season (Rasmussen 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies of species confined to Mediterranean conditions indicate that very few seedlings reach a stage of development allowing them to survive the subsequent dry season, and that most species are believed to have transient seed banks, lasting for less than one growing season (Batty et al 2000(Batty et al , 2001. Recent studies, however, provide evidence that seeds of some species become part of a long-lived soil seed bank (Whigham et al 2006). We are not aware of any seed bank studies that were carried out on orchid populations in a boreal-alpine climate, with an extensive period of snow cover and frost, and a very short growing season.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Germination Ecology of the Boreal-Alpine Terrestrial OrchidDactylorhiza lapponica(Orchidaceae)

Øien

O’Neill

Whigham

et al. 2008

Annales Botanici Fennici

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In order to reveal some of the germination requirements of the boreal-alpine terrestrial orchid Dactylorhiza lapponica, several experiments were carried out on seeds collected from the Sølendet nature reserve, central Norway. Seeds were sown in seed packets made of nylon cloth and deployed in situ vertically in the peat in order to study the temporal pattern of seed germination and determine if the seeds became part of the soil seed bank. In vitro germination experiments were carried out varying the growth media, fungal partner and chilling treatment, in order to study the effect of a fungal symbiont on germination and early protocorm development, and the possibility of a physiological seed dormancy. A high rate of germination a short time after sowing in the in vitro experiments together with a very low survival after deployment in the in situ experiments (0.2% after three years) indicate that D. lapponica seeds are not part of a long-lived soil seed bank. In vitro experiments also demonstrated that a fungal symbiont was not required for germination. Seeds sown in situ had very low germination rate (11%-12%) and lack of available nutrients is suggested as a possible explanation. Presence of a fungal symbiont clearly enhanced the early development of protocorms in vitro, and is probably necessary for the seedling to grow beyond the earliest protocorm stages under natural conditions. The results indicate that recruitment is highly variable and very low relative to population size, indicating that survival of established plants is crucial to the fate of a population.

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Section: The Effect Of the Presence Of A Fungal Symbiont On Germinationsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Germination In Vitromentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Germination Ecology of the Boreal-Alpine Terrestrial OrchidDactylorhiza lapponica(Orchidaceae)

Øien

O’Neill

Whigham

et al. 2008

Annales Botanici Fennici

Self Cite

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“…Preservation of genetic diversity of orchids for conservation and restoration purposes is now a feasible practice after the ecological studies of seed bank dynamics made by several investigators (Batty et al 2001, Whigham et al 2006. However, few studies have demonstrated the reliability of reintroduction of several species into their natural habitat and less, managing symbiotic fungus Dixon 2003, Zettler et al 2003).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungus-assisted reintroduction and long-term survival of two Mexican terrestrial orchids in the natural habitat

Ortega-Larrocea¹,

Rangel-Villafranco²

2015

Lankesteriana

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Preservation of genetic diversity of orchids for con- servation and restoration purposes is now a feasible practice after the ecological studies of seed bank dynamics made by several investigators (Batty et al. 2001, Whigham et al. 2006). However, few studies have demonstrated the reliability of reintroduction of several species into their natural habitat and less, managing symbiotic fungus (Ramsay and Dixon 2003, Zettler et al. 2003).

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The challenges of growing orchids from seeds for conservation: An assessment of asymbiotic techniques

et al. 2022

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Lewis Knudson first successfully germinated orchid seeds asymbiotically on artificial medium in 1922. While many orchid species have since been grown asymbiotically, the tremendous variation in how species respond to artificial medium and growth conditions ex situ has also become apparent in the past century. In this study, we reviewed published journal articles on asymbiotic orchid seed germination to provide a summary of techniques used and to evaluate if these differ between terrestrial and epiphytic species, to identify areas where additional research is needed, and to evaluate whether asymbiotic germination could be used more often in ex situ conservation. We found articles reporting successful asymbiotic germination of 270 species and 20 cultivars across Orchidaceae. Researchers often used different techniques with epiphytic versus terrestrial species, but species‐specific responses to growth media and conditions were common, indicating that individualized protocols will be necessary for most species. The widespread success in generating seedlings on artificial media suggests that asymbiotic techniques should be another tool for the conservation of rare orchid species. Further advances are needed in understanding how to introduce mycorrhizae to axenically grown orchids and to maximize the viability of seedlings reintroduced into natural habitats to fully utilize these methods for conservation.

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Seed longevity in terrestrial orchids – Potential for persistent in situ seed banks

Cited by 68 publications

References 16 publications

Germination Ecology of the Boreal-Alpine Terrestrial OrchidDactylorhiza lapponica(Orchidaceae)

Germination Ecology of the Boreal-Alpine Terrestrial OrchidDactylorhiza lapponica(Orchidaceae)

Fungus-assisted reintroduction and long-term survival of two Mexican terrestrial orchids in the natural habitat

The challenges of growing orchids from seeds for conservation: An assessment of asymbiotic techniques

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