Seed reserve translocation and early seedling growth of eight tree species in a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico

Seed reserves play an essential role during germination and seedling establishment and are particularly important for species that grow in seasonal ecosystems with a short growing season. In this study, we examined (a) how and when the seedlings change their dependence from seed resources to external resources, (b) the lipid, nitrogen, and non-structural carbohydrate reserve translocation from seeds to seedlings over time, and (c) whether reserve translocation may be correlated to cotyledon and leaf lifespan of seedlings for eight tree species in a tropical deciduous forest in north-western Mexico. Our results showed that the cotyledon lifespan was not related to the cotyledon type (photosynthetic or reserve) and that the cotyledon biomass did not decrease significantly until germination. In six of the eight studied species, biomass allocation to the leaves was favored; lipids were the first reserve exhausted before the first leaves were totally expanded in seven of the eight study species. Species with the highest N concentration had expanded leaves and lost their cotyledons faster than species with a low N concentration. Our results suggest that tropical deciduous forest species employ different strategies to survive the dry season and re-sprout in the next growing season mediated by seed reserve concentrations, translocation patterns and subsequent biomass allocation.     

Effect of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae on seedling growth of four tree species from the tropical deciduous forest in Mexico

The influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae on the growth of seedlings of Caesalpinia eriostachys, Cordia alliodora, Ipomoea wolcottiana and Pithecellobium mangense was investigated in a greenhouse experiment conducted at the Biological Station of Chamela on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Dry biomass production, relative growth rate, root/shoot ratio and mycorrhizal dependency were quantified for 75-day-old seedlings. With the exception of the pioneer species I. wolcottiana, mycorrhizal infection resulted in increases in biomass production, relative growth rate and leaf area. The root/shoot ratios attained for the species, however, did not show a consistent trend with infection. Nevertheless, all species had root/shoot ratios below 1 with infection and only one, Cordia alliodora, had a ratio greater than 1 without infection. The two late successional species from the mature part of the forest, Caesalpinia eriostachys and P. mangense, showed a larger mycorrhizal dependency than the two associated with disturbed environments.     

Daily activity patterns of coyotes (Canis latrans) in a tropical deciduous forest of western Mexico

We studied the activity patterns of the coyote (Canis latrans) in a tropical deciduous forest in the Mexican Pacific coast over 3 years. Fifteen coyotes (six females, nine males) were fitted with radio-collars equipped with activity sensors to determine the influence of seasonality (dry vs. wet), gender (males vs. females) and diel intervals (dusk, night, dawn, and day) on activity patterns. We found differences in activity patterns between diel intervals, but the only pair of diel intervals that showed significant differences was dawn (more active) vs. day (less active). We found no differences due to sex or season on any of the four studied diel intervals. Coyote activity patterns in this tropical forest could be responding to prey availability, human avoidance or thermoregulation.     

Gap phase regeneration of tree species of differing successional status in a humid tropical forest of Kerala,India

Germination, establishment and growth of seedlings of tree speciesPalaquium ellipticum (primary),Actinodaphne malabarica (late secondary) andMacaranga peltata (early secondary) were studied in a humid tropical forest at Nelliampathy, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. While the primary species completed its germination within a brief period of 1.5 months, at the other extreme, early secondary species showed slow germination extending for about 5 months, the late secondary species falling in between. Although, all the species studied showed higher establishment and growth under gaps, the early secondary species were more responsive compared to the primary species. Primary species showed better establishment in undisturbed sites and natural gaps than under selection felled gaps; the reverse was true for late and early secondary species. Survival of seedlings increased with gap size, but sharply declined with gap age. Shoot/root ratio was consistently higher in the early secondary species than in the primary species.     

盐分和母树大小对黑松海防林种子萌发和幼苗早期生长的影响

研究了盐度(0、0.02、0.04和0.08 mol·L~(-1))和黑松母树大小对山东半岛北部海防林的主要造林树种黑松种子萌发和幼苗早期生长的影响.结果表明:盐度对黑松种子的发芽率有显著影响,随着NaCl浓度的升高,种子萌发率逐渐下降;盐分抑制黑松幼苗的早期生长,随着盐浓度升高,黑松幼苗的根长、芽长及根干质量均显著降低;母树大小在总体上对种子萌发率没有影响,但显著影响黑松幼苗的根长、芽长和芽干质量;盐度和母树大小的相互作用显著影响黑松幼苗的根长和芽长.而对黑松种子萌发率、幼苗根干质量和芽干质量的影响不显著.

Abstract：

Pinus thunbergii is the main forestation tree species of coastal protection forests in northern Shandong Peninsula of China. Its seed germination and seedling early growth were stud-ied under the conditions of different water salinity (0, 0. 02, 0. 04, and 0. 08 mol·L~(-1)) and mother tree sizes. With increasing sea water salinity, the seed germination rate, root-and plu-mule length, and the dry weights of root and plumule decreased significantly. Mother tree size had little effects on the seed germination rate, but affected the root-and plumule length and the plumule dry weight significantly. The interaction of sea water salinity and mother tree size affect-ed the root-and plumule length significantly, but less affected the germination rate and the dry weights of root and plumule.     

土壤菲污染对两种草坪草种子萌发及其幼苗生长的影响

采用培养皿中的种子暴露试验方法,研究了2种城市绿化草种——多年生黑麦草和三叶草在不同多环芳烃菲污染浓度梯度和不同土壤改良方式下的种子萌发及其幼苗生长反应。结果表明:不同浓度菲污染对2个草种的发芽率和幼苗生长没有显著差异;除了低浓度胁迫下黑麦草处理外,所有处理的萌发指标大都随着菲胁迫浓度的提高而降低。此外,污染土壤的几种改良方式在一定程度上对草种的萌发及其幼苗生长有积极的作用。总的来说,表面活性剂和树木凋落物复合的改良作用效果要好于二者单独使用的效果。     

Dew and its effect on two heliophile understorey species of a tropical dry deciduous forest in Mexico

 A series of horizontal and vertical measurements of dew deposition and dew duration were carried out in a tropical dry deciduous forest in western Mexico (19° 30′ N, 105° 03′ W). The effect of dew on transpiration in heliophile species was also investigated. The amount of dew was very variable with no temporal or spatial pattern. The amount of dew measured at two horizontal transects (maximum and minimum) (at heights of 0.20 m and 1.30 m above ground level) was from 0.014 to 0.203 mm and from 0.013 to 0.061 mm in the middle and at the end of the dry season, respectively. Dew deposition at different vertical levels (0.50–12.5 m height) ranged from 0.04 to 0.36 mm. The duration of dew formation ranged between 60 and 129 min after sunrise above the canopy (a height of 11 m), and between 259 and 290 min after sunrise at a height of 2 m. Daily transpiration rates were 883 and 632 g m^–2 d^–1 in Coccoloba liebmannii and 538 and 864 g m^–2 d^–1 in Jacquinia pungens in January and April, respectively. Transpiration was restricted from sunrise to early afternoon in April, as a result of the pronounced midday closure of stomata in both species. The reduction of transpiration by dew ranged from 13.2 to 50.1 g m^–2 d^–1 and from 4.5 to 77.7 g m^–2 d^–1 for C. liebmannii and J. pungens, respectively. Dew can play an important role in enhancing the survival of heliophile species in the dry season by reducing transpiration rates during the morning. Received: 30 April 1998 / Accepted: 14 December 1998     

林窗对热带雨林冠层树种绒毛番龙眼幼苗生长的影响

在林窗中央、林窗边缘和林冠下3种不同光照梯度的森林生境中,研究了西双版纳季节雨林冠层树种绒毛番龙眼幼苗的早期 (种子萌发后10周内) 生长和定居后 (实生苗生长3个月以上) 的生长特点.结果表明: 绒毛番龙眼幼苗在早期生长阶段,林窗中央的株高、基径、总干质量、单株叶面积和相对生长率最大,分别为24.45 cm、3.17 mm、0.79 g、122.45 cm²和14.78×10^-3 g·d^-1.林冠下根冠比 (0.87) 高于林窗中央 (0.20) ,可能是光照和水分共同作用的结果.林窗中央较强的光照有利于定居后幼苗的生长,株高、基径、总干质量、单株叶面积、相对生长率和净同化率均在林窗中央最大,实验结束时分别达到31.48 cm、3.80 mm、2.22 g、174.52 cm²、2.29×10^-3 g·d^-1和2.54×10^-5 g·cm^-2·d^-1.幼苗死亡可能与水分胁迫密切相关,由水分胁迫引起的幼苗死亡率在林冠下最高 (26.88%),但林冠下由脊椎动物捕食引起的幼苗死亡率较低(2.93%),从而使林冠下幼苗的最终存活率最高 (70.19%).光照是影响绒毛番龙眼幼苗形态学调节的重要因素, 林窗中央不同生长阶段幼苗的比叶面积最低,但相对生长率和净同化率最大.水分胁迫和光照在幼苗定居后仍是影响幼苗生物量分配的重要因素, 林窗边缘幼苗的根冠比最高 (0.33).     

The effect of seed mass and gap size on seed fate of tropical rain forest tree species in guyana

Abstract: For eleven tree species, differing in seed mass, germination success (emergence success for two small-seeded species) and the causes of failure to germinate were studied in the forest understorey and in logging gaps in the tropical rain forests of Guyana. In the forest understorey, germination success increased with seed mass. However, as gap size increased the difference between smaller and larger seeded species diminished because germination success of smaller-seeded species increased slightly, while that of larger-seeded species decreased dramatically. The negative effect of gap size on germination success of larger-seeded species was caused by an increased risk of desiccation with gap size, which was a far more important seed mortality agent for larger than for smaller-seeded species. Generally, seeds of smaller-seeded species suffered more from insect predation and were removed at higher rates than larger-seeded species. On the other hand, larger-seeded species were eaten more by mammals than smaller-seeded species. It is concluded that logging can result in shifts in the species composition in the tropical rain forests of Guyana which are dominated by species with large seeds, since germination success of larger-seeded species is dramatically reduced in large logging gaps.     

Priming effects on seed germination in Tecoma stans (Bignoniaceae) and Cordia megalantha (Boraginaceae), two tropical deciduous tree species

Successful revegetation necessarily requires the establishment of a vegetation cover and one of the challenges for this is the scarce knowledge about germination and seedling establishment of wild tree species. Priming treatments (seed hydration during a specific time followed by seed dehydration) could be an alternative germination pre-treatment to improve plant establishment. Natural priming (via seed burial) promotes rapid and synchronous germination as well as the mobilisation of storage reserves; consequently, it increases seedling vigour. These metabolic and physiological responses are similar to those occurring as a result of the laboratory seed priming treatments (osmopriming and matrix priming) applied successfully to agricultural species. In order to know if natural priming had a positive effect on germination of tropical species we tested the effects of natural priming on imbibition kinetics, germination parameters (mean germination time, lag time and germination rate and percentage) and reserve mobilisation in the seeds of two tree species from a tropical deciduous forest in south-eastern México: Tecoma stans (L Juss. Ex Kunth) and Cordia megalantha (S.F Blake). The wood of both trees are useful for furniture and T. stans is a pioneer tree that promotes soil retention in disturbed areas. We also compared the effect of natural priming with that of laboratory matrix priming (both in soil). Matrix priming improved germination of both studied species. Natural priming promoted the mobilisation of proteins and increased the amount of free amino acids and of lipid degradation in T. stans but not in C. megalantha. Our results suggest that the application of priming via the burial of seeds is an easy and inexpensive technique that can improve seed germination and seedling establishment of tropical trees with potential use in reforestation and restoration practices.     

Patterns of tree growth in relation to environmental variability in the tropical dry deciduous forest at Mudumalai, southern India

Tree diameter growth is sensitive to environmental fluctuations and tropical dry forests experience high seasonal and inter-annual environmental variation. Tree growth rates in a large permanent plot at Mudumalai, southern India, were examined for the influences of rainfall and three intrinsic factors (size, species and growth form) during three 4-year intervals over the period 1988–2000. Most trees had lowest growth during the second interval when rainfall was lowest, and skewness and kurtosis of growth distributions were reduced during this interval. Tree diameter generally explained <10% of growth variation and had less influence on growth than species identity or time interval. Intraspecific variation was high, yet species identity accounted for up to 16% of growth variation in the community. There were no consistent differences between canopy and understory tree growth rates; however, a few subgroups of species may potentially represent canopy and understory growth guilds. Environmentally-induced temporal variations in growth generally did not reduce the odds of subsequent survival. Growth rates appear to be strongly influenced by species identity and environmental variability in the Mudumalai dry forest. Understanding and predicting vegetation dynamics in the dry tropics thus also requires information on temporal variability in local climate.     

不同光照对望天树种子萌发和幼苗早期生长的影响

在不同光照梯度的人工遮荫和森林生境中,研究了西双版纳季节雨林标志树种望天树的种子萌发和幼苗早期生长特征.结果表明,裸地上的强光照和深度遮荫均不利于望天树种子的萌发,中等程度的遮荫有利于种子萌发.望天树种子萌发率在林窗中央最大,而且萌发迅速,林窗边缘和林下生境不利于种子萌发.幼苗株高、基径和单株叶面积等生长指标均在部分遮荫处理条件下最大;幼苗根冠比在裸地上最高,且随遮荫程度的增加而降低;幼苗比叶面积在一定光照强度范围内随遮荫程度的增加而增大,在3层遮荫最大.除幼苗根冠比以外的其它生长参数均在林窗中央最大.讨论了环境因子(主要是光照强度和光质)对望天树种子萌发和幼苗生长的影响.     

Effects of burial and storage on germination and seed reserves of 18 tree species in a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico

The changes in germination and seed reserve composition that occur while seeds are stored in the laboratory or buried in the soil are important for understanding the potential and ecological longevity of seeds as well as seed-bank dynamics. Both germination and seed-bank dynamics depend on water availability. We studied 18 tree species, including those with permeable or impermeable seeds, from a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico. We measured seed germination in a growth chamber after (1) dispersal, (2) laboratory storage, (3) seed burial at two field sites and directly in the field, and (4) two rainy seasons. Lipids, nitrogen, and nonstructural carbohydrates were quantified after dispersal and after laboratory or field storage. Sixteen species were viable after three periods of laboratory storage (~3 years). Eleven species were viable after two burial periods in the field (~2 years). Nitrogen concentration decreased after storage and burial in 11 species. Species lipid concentration had a negative relationship with species water content at dispersal and after one burial period, whereas nonstructural carbohydrates showed the opposite trend. Potential and ecological longevities were similar in impermeable seeds. Most of the species studied can form persistent seed banks consisting mainly of species with impermeable seeds that can remain in the soil without degrading their viability. Germination in the field is staggered following natural precipitation pulses as a strategy to stagger seedling recruitment, which may insure against unfavorable conditions.     

Crop diversity and fallow management in a tropical deciduous forest shifting cultivation system

Shifting cultivation is important to many of the inhabitants of tropical forest regions. Much scientific research has been conducted on this form of agriculture in the humid tropics, but the drier portions of the tropics remain less studied. The shifting cultivation system practiced in the tropical deciduous forests of western Guerrero, Mexico, provides insight into such production systems, especially with regard to crop diversity and fallow characteristics. This system is characterized by low crop diversity, based primarily on maize (Zea mays)cultivation, and a general lack of fallow management. The farmers also utilize several strategies not common to many other regions, including highly seasonal labor allocation patterns, varying fallow cycle lengths, and the occasional application of chemical inputs.     

黑果枸杞种子萌发及幼苗生长对盐胁迫的响应

研究不同浓度(0、1、2、3、6、9、14、18g.L-1)的盐溶液(NaCl、MgSO4、盐渍土壤)对河西走廊中部荒漠边缘的黑果枸杞种子吸胀、萌发和幼苗生长的影响,并观察胁迫解除后种子的反应。结果表明:黑果枸杞种子吸胀速率随NaCl、MgSO4和土壤溶液浓度的增大呈先升后降的趋势,吸水速度随胁迫时间的延长而减慢;种子萌发率随3种盐浓度的增大而降低,盐胁迫解除后种子仍具有较高的萌发率;发芽指数、活力指数、根长、下胚轴随3种盐浓度的增大而降低或先升后降,根轴比随盐胁迫的增强先升后降;随3种盐浓度的增大,种苗损害率增大,3种盐的胁迫效应依次NaCl>MgSO4>盐渍土壤溶液。黑果枸杞种子萌发和幼苗生长对NaCl胁迫较为敏感,其耐受的临界阈值是6g.L-1;种子萌发能耐受较高浓度的MgSO4的胁迫,幼苗生长对MgSO4胁迫较敏感,其耐受的临界阈值是9g.L-1;种子萌发和幼苗生长对生境盐渍土壤具有较强的耐受能力和适应性。     

Effect of autoclave sterilization of a tropical andept on seed germination and seedling growth

Summary Steam sterilization of a Typic Dystrandept in Costa Rica resulted in a six-fold increase in extractable Mn, to levels often considered toxic. Seeds of eight species, comprised of six successional taxa and two cultivars (soybean,Glycine max and raddish,Raphanus sativus) were planted in the sterilized soil and in unsterilized soil after delays of 1, 8, 15, and 28 days. Germination and mortality were not different in the two soils, indicating that steamsterilized soil can safely be used in seed traps. Six species (including both cultivars) grew better in unsterilized soil, but two of the native taxa (Phytolacca rivinoides andBocconia frutescens) grew significantly faster in sterilized soil.     

沙埋对醉马草种子萌发和幼苗生长的影响

为探讨醉马草(Achnatherum inebrians)种群繁殖和扩散机理,并为其防控和开发利用提供理论基础,研究了不同沙埋深度(0、1、2、3、4和5cm)对醉马草种子萌发和幼苗生长的影响。结果表明:埋深对醉马草幼苗出土率、首次出苗时间、幼苗生长高度以及生物量的分配均有极显著影响(P<0.001);种子萌发和幼苗出土率在2cm沙埋下达到最高(92%),在5cm沙埋下最低(58.7%);幼苗最大高度(10.8cm)出现在3cm的沙埋,最小高度(6.3和7.1cm)出现在0和5cm的埋深;埋深为2cm时,地上和地下生物量最大,埋深5cm时地上和地下生物量均最小;最大根长(约5cm)和最小根长(1cm)分别出现在2～3cm和5cm的埋深。2～3cm的埋深是醉马草种子萌发和幼苗生长的最佳深度。     

加快棕种子萌发和幼苗生长的研究

棕种子萌发和幼苗生长十分缓慢 ,为了探索加快种子萌发和幼苗生长的方法 ,对棕种子进行不同处理、不同时间催芽和催芽后不同处理等试验 ,结果表明 :(1)生长调节剂 3号 ABT生根粉、吲哚丁酸和 2 ,4 - D可提高种子萌发率 ,促进幼苗生长。 (2 )播种前催芽可促使种子提前萌发 ,延长幼苗生长期 ,使当年生苗更粗壮 ;贮藏 3个月后催芽可提高 10 %～ 15%的发芽率。 (3)催芽后用 50 mg/ L和 10 0 mg/ L的 3号 ABT生根粉、或者 10 0 mg/ L的萘乙酸浸泡都可以提高幼苗出土率 ,但对幼苗生长没有明显影响。