Article
Plant Sciences
Frantisek Bednarik, Katerina Houskova, Lena Bezdeckova, Oldrich Mauer
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of seed fermentation as a pre-sowing treatment for small-leaved lime. The results showed that fermented seed had lower levels of abscisic acid, higher germination capacity, and improved morphological parameters compared to the control group.
Article
Forestry
Isabela Maria Souza Silva, Geangelo Petene Calvi, Carol C. Baskin, Gisele Rodrigues dos Santos, Niwton Leal-Filho, Isolde Dorothea Kossmann Ferraz
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of increased temperatures on seed germination success in the soil seed bank of secondary forests in Central Amazonia. Results showed that temperature increase affects germination and seedling density, and some species have specific sensitivities to temperature. The study suggests that natural regeneration in the region may be significantly impacted by global warming, potentially leading to changes in floristic composition.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Amanda N. D. Freeman, Kylie Freebody, Michael Montenero, Catherine Moran, Luke P. Shoo, Carla P. Catterall
Summary: Frugivorous birds play an important role in seed dispersal, but are seldom seen in pastures. In an experimental project aimed at promoting rainforest regeneration, the installation of semi-natural perches and water basins attracted seed-dispersing birds, leading to an increase in seed deposition. However, despite a diverse avian community in the adjacent forest, only a few species visited the plots, with water basins collecting a significantly higher number of native tree seeds compared to mesh seed traps.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Russell G. Miller, Joseph B. Fontaine, David J. Merritt, Ben P. Miller, Neal J. Enright
Summary: Global increase in unseasonal fires is threatening postfire seedling recruitment due to impacts on seed persistence and seedling establishment. Experimental evidence shows up to 99% reduction in seedling recruitment following unseasonal fires compared to seasonal fires, highlighting the vulnerability of plant regeneration to changing fire seasons.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Kamran, Dan Wang, Kaizhi Xie, Yusheng Lu, Chaohong Shi, Ayman EL Sabagh, Wenjie Gu, Peizhi Xu
Summary: The study demonstrated that plant growth regulators kinetin and calcium could partially mitigate the inhibitory effects of salt stress on the germination and growth of choy sum seeds by increasing certain biochemical parameters to reduce salt-induced oxidative damages.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiaomin Wang, Rong Wu, Tongshu Shen, Zhenan Li, Chengyong Li, Bangkui Wu, Hongye Jiang, Guangwu Zhao
Summary: OsMYBAS1, a MYB transcription factor, plays a regulatory role in rice seed germination and seedling establishment. Overexpression of OsMYBAS1 enhances seed germination and seedling growth, while knocking out the gene has the opposite effect. These findings provide valuable insights for rice seed-quality breeding and the development of a dry, direct-seeding production system.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joanna M. Garaventa, V. Thomas Parker
Summary: The research revealed a clear relationship between A. fasciculatum and resident and migratory granivores in the chaparral, as well as the significant role of seed banks in vegetation recovery following fires. The 8-month seed rain duration with over 1 million seeds per square meter, multiple seed predators including passerines and rodents, and the potential role of native ants in seed dispersal were documented. The study also showed that a 39-year-old stand had higher germination rates than stands of different ages, emphasizing the importance of seed banks in ensuring resilience.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Baofeng Zhang, Dan Liu, Xiaobo Xi, Yifu Zhang, Chao Chen, Jiwei Qu, Hao Dong, Ruihong Zhang
Summary: Seed tape sowing technology is a crop cultivation technique that simplifies the planting process and promotes orderly agriculture by using carrier materials to create seed tapes with accurate hill spacing control. Future advancements include intelligent seed tape manufacturing equipment, integrated seed tape planters, and applications in agricultural landscapes and crop transplantation.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Valeria Cafaro, Silvio Calcagno, Cristina Patane, Salvatore Luciano Cosentino, Giorgio Testa
Summary: This trial evaluated the performance of four dwarf castor hybrids and compared them to a local selected genotype in different sowing dates. The results showed that the 'C856' genotype was the most suitable for biomass production, and early spring sowings negatively impacted dwarf hybrid production. However, the third sowing date positively influenced the oil content and yield in all dwarf genotypes except the local genotype.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jonas Alvarez-Lopeztello, Celerino Robles, Rafael F. del Castillo
Summary: The study found that microplastics, mainly fibers and fragments, were present in the soils of various ecosystems in tropical lowland areas, with films and pellets not detected. Fibers and fragments ranged mainly from 150 to 500 micrometers, with sizes from 40 to 60 micrometers being the rarest. The concentration of fibers and fragments varied significantly among different ecosystems, and appeared to increase with higher levels of clay and sand.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Caio S. Ballarin, Leandro Hachuy-Filho, Francisco E. Fonturbel, Felipe W. Amorim
Summary: Density-dependent multitrophic plant-animal interactions have significant impacts on plant reproduction and population dynamics. Studying density-dependent effects is crucial for understanding the restoration of ecosystem structure and stability.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yang Wang, Jinna He, Haotian Ye, Mingquan Ding, Feiwang Xu, Rong Wu, Fucheng Zhao, Guangwu Zhao
Summary: Transcriptome sequencing and physiological metabolism analyses were performed to study the mechanism of maize seed germination under deep sowing conditions. The study identified oxidative stress response and lipid metabolism as important factors in seed adaptation to deep sowing. Additionally, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and starch and sucrose metabolism were found to be critical processes in maize seed germination under deep-sowing conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
J. Wang, X. Y. Wang, W. Pan, J. Y. Li, L. Xue, S. Li
Summary: In degraded karst ecosystems, vegetation restoration efforts often rely on planted seedlings, but seeds' functional traits, dormancy, and germination are crucial for community assembly. This study highlights the importance of seed traits in successful vegetation restoration and recommends direct seeding of specific species during the early rainy season.
Article
Forestry
Susana Adriana Montano-Arias, Hilda Araceli Zavaleta-Mancera, Sara Lucia Camargo-Ricalde, Rosaura Grether
Summary: Mimosa luisana seeds have a long lifespan, with germination percentage depending on seed age and scarification. Slow seedling growth and the presence of foliar cotyledons were observed in all seed age groups.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Neeraj Yadav, Vinod Prasad Khanduri, Bhupendra Singh, Chatar Singh Dhanai, Manoj Kumar Riyal, Deepa Rawat, Taufiq Ahmad, Munesh Kumar
Summary: This study aims to produce high-quality planting materials for Bauhinia retusa and Bauhinia variegata in nurseries for afforestation programs. The results show that a constant temperature of 25℃ is most suitable for the seed germination of both species, and polybags are the most suitable storage containers for Bauhinia seeds. Yellow color and larger seeds are preferred for both species, with horizontal sowing for B. retusa and upright sowing for B. variegata resulting in the highest seedling emergence and growth.
Article
Plant Sciences
Susana Maza-Villalobos, David D. Ackerly, Ken Oyama, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
PERSPECTIVES IN PLANT ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ernesto Vega, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Felipe Garcia-Oliva, Ken Oyama
Article
Forestry
Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Felipe Barragan, Francisco Mora, Susana Maza-Villalobos, Luis F. Arreola-Villa, Radika Bhaskar, Frans Bongers, Celina Lemus-Herrera, Horacio Paz, Angelina Martinez-Yrizar, Bianca A. Santini, Patricia Balvanera
Summary: The study investigated the changes in community attributes and phylogenetic structure of shrubs and trees at different life stages during the old-field succession of a seasonally tropical dry forest in Western Mexico. Results showed that the assembly of shrub and tree communities along succession resulted from a combination of abiotic filtering processes operating mostly on seedlings and biotic filtering processes operating mostly on resprouts. The implications of these findings for the management of secondary TDF in human-modified landscapes are discussed.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ricard Arasa-Gisbert, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Carmen Galan-Acedo, Jorge A. Meave, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: The study reveals that landscape composition has a stronger effect on sapling diversity than landscape configuration. Old-growth forest specialist species tend to decrease in deforested landscapes with open matrices, while forest generalist species show the opposite response, especially in regions with high-to-intermediate disturbance levels. Forest fragmentation has weak or no effects on species diversity, particularly after controlling for forest cover effects.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tomonari Matsuo, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Frans Bongers, Masha T. van der Sande, Lourens Poorter
Summary: This study found that light conditions change linearly during tropical forest succession, leading to continuous replacement of species. Changes in forest structure drive the changes in light conditions, with basal area determining where most light is absorbed and crown area influencing light distribution.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Karen Noriega-Pina, Daniel Pinero, Teresa Valverde, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: Eradication of herbivores by human disturbances results in a demographic outburst of highly competitive prey species, leading to reduced plant species diversity. In the Los Tuxtlas tropical rainforest of Mexico, an understory palm species is reportedly excluding other tree species, potentially impacting forest structure and composition in the long term.
Review
Forestry
Patricia Balvanera, Horacio Paz, Felipe Arreola-Villa, Radika Bhaskar, Frans Bongers, Sofia Cortes, Ek del Val, Eduardo Garcia-Frapolli, Mayra Elena Gavito, Carlos E. Gonzalez-Esquivel, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Angelina Martinez-Yrizar, Francisco Mora, Julia Naime, Fermin Pascual-Ramirez, Nathalia Perez-Cardenas, Oscar A. Ugartechea-Salmeron, Ilyes Siddique, Ireri Suazo-Ortuno, Scott M. Swinton
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Maria del Mar Gallego-Mahecha, Teresa Valverde, Ernesto Vega, Frans Bongers
Summary: Early pioneer species show differences in demographic attributes during succession, with population density, structure, and growth rates varying among Trema micrantha, Cecropia peltata, and Trichospermum mexicanum in tropical rainforest in Southeast Mexico. Demographic patterns indicated the moment each species reached peak density and the sequence of species replacement during succession. Inter-specific priority inhibitory effects may also play a role in colonization and replacement between species with similar regeneration strategies.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
German Wies, Armando Navarrete-Segueda, Eliane Ceccon, John Larsen, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: This study investigated various factors influencing maize cropping systems and grain yield, including the differences between traditional and conventional systems, soil characteristics, agronomic factors, and socioeconomic drivers. The findings reveal the inconsistent effectiveness of modern agronomic management and highlight the need for new theoretical models incorporating socioeconomic and cultural drivers to better predict maize grain yield.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ricard Arasa-Gisbert, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Jorge A. Meave, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Madelon Lohbeck
Summary: This study examines the effects of forest cover, matrix openness, and forest patch density on the functional composition and diversity of tropical regenerating trees. The results show that forest loss and matrix openness reduce functional richness and evenness, while fragmentation has contrasting effects on functional diversity and composition.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Daniel Martin Auliz-Ortiz, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Eduardo Mendoza, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: This study assessed the impact of biosphere reserves on forest loss and fragmentation in the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot and found that reserves can reduce forest loss and preserve less-fragmented configurations. However, they do not decrease the fragmentation rate or promote forest regrowth. Increasing non-farm occupation and planning rural settlements around reserves can improve their effectiveness for forest conservation.
PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Madelon Lohbeck, Ben DeVries, Frans Bongers, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Armando Navarrete-Segueda, Sergio Nicasio-Arzeta, Christina Siebe, Aline Pingarroni, German Wies, Mathieu Decuyper
Summary: Forest regrowth is crucial for achieving restoration commitments, but a lack of understanding about its occurrence and persistence hampers effective upscaling. This study in southern Mexico examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of forest in a recently colonized agricultural frontier, and investigated the factors influencing forest disturbance, regrowth, and secondary forest persistence. The results showed widespread forest loss and relatively constant secondary forest cover, indicating a shift away from shifting cultivation. Climate variation and land ownership were found to be important drivers of disturbance, while soil quality influenced forest characteristics. The findings highlight the importance of considering community-specific dynamics and promoting equitable conservation initiatives to ensure successful forest restoration.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Jesus Eduardo Saenz-Ceja, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Manuel E. Mendoza, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup
Summary: This study describes the fire scar patterns in two conifer species in Mexican temperate forests. The results suggest that the absence of visible fire scars in smooth-bark Mexican pines does not imply the absence of fire, and sacred firs can exhibit external fire scars like pines.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guillermo Ibarra-Manriquez, Mario Gonzalez-Espinosa, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Jorge A. Meave
Summary: Vegetation is crucial for biodiversity and human well-being. The goal of vegetation ecology is to understand the factors affecting vegetation and propose solutions to challenges through reviewing recent advances. Vegetation science will continue to provide knowledge and tools for addressing global environmental crisis.
BOTANICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Daniel Martin Auliz-Ortiz, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Eduardo Mendoza, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: Restricted policies in protected areas may worsen poverty, but less restrictive areas may be better at alleviating poverty. However, this permissibility may reduce the effectiveness of preventing forest loss.