Article
Agronomy
Hongmei Liu, Yanling Wu, Yingxin Li, Shijie Lv, Zhijun Wei, Baorui Chen, Lijun Xu, Guixia Yang, Xiaoping Xin, Ruirui Yan
Summary: This study compares the germinable seed bank in the soil and the germination characteristics of Leymus chinensis in free-grazing and enclosed areas. The results show that free-grazing increases the number of germinable L. chinensis seeds and advances the initial germination time. Livestock grazing behaviors also improve the germination rate.
Review
Plant Sciences
Marieke M. M. van Katwijk, Brigitta I. I. van Tussenbroek
Summary: Most plant species have either annual or perennial life cycles, but there are facultative annual species that can be either annual or perennial depending on their environment. While facultative annual species are rare in terrestrial plants, they are more common in marine angiosperms, particularly seagrasses. Six of the 63 seagrass species are facultative annual, producing significantly more seeds than their perennial counterparts. These facultative annual species can transition to an annual life cycle when exposed to specific environmental factors such as desiccation, anoxia, shading, or heat stress. A large-scale coastal protection experiment demonstrated that the facultative annual seagrass population could shift to a perennial life cycle within 5 years depending on the environmental conditions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matthew A. A. Byrnes, Kelly M. M. Darnell, M. Zachary Darnell
Summary: This study compares fish assemblages associated with reproductive and non-reproductive Ruppia maritima and investigates the spatial distribution and morphology of reproductive plants and their impact on fish habitat use. The results indicate that reproductive plants have more complex morphology, but this does not affect fish assemblages. Instead, fish abundance is related to R. maritima biomass.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xin Zhang, Xueqiang Lu, Haixiao Li
Summary: An effective growth inhibitor, AO 2246, was identified from the Ruppia maritima extracts, showing allelopathic effect against Microcystis aeruginosa. The compound had low acute toxicity and long-lasting cyanobacteria inhibition efficacy in natural environments, making it a potential environmentally-friendly alternative for controlling cyanobacterial bloom.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
F. J. White, A. Ensslin, S. Godefroid, A. Faruk, T. Abeli, G. Rossi, A. Mondoni
Summary: Billions of seeds from wild species are stored in seed banks worldwide. Use of these seeds for plant translocation faces obstacles such as funding and resource limitations. A survey of 104 seed banks in 34 countries found that over 70% had used their collections for translocations, but only 11 had no constraints. Lack of funding and resources limit the full potential for translocation activities.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Brian MacPherson, Ryan Scott, Robin Gras
Summary: The prevalence of sexual reproduction in animal species is a paradox for evolutionary theory. Sexual reproduction can create a wide range of individuals to adapt to fluctuating environments, while clonal reproduction may lead to reduced genetic variation and inability to survive in changing conditions. Our study shows that fluctuating resources can result in decreased asexual reproduction and increased sexual reproduction in facultative species, suggesting an evolutionary response. This contributes to the ongoing debate of whether the switch to sex in facultative species is mainly due to phenotypic plasticity or evolutionary factors.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Singarayer Florentine, Per Milberg, Martin Westbrooke
Summary: The quality and quantity of soil seed bank composition were investigated in a study on the restoration of damaged native sites in riparian environments in Victoria, Australia. The study found that while the soil seed bank showed potential as a recruitment source of native species, many sites were still dominated by exotic species, making it unreliable as a long-term restoration strategy. Prior site selection for restoration efforts is crucial, and a positive seed bank composition with a significant density of native species seeds is indicative of native species' resilience and potential for recovery.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xin-Sheng Chen, Ying Huang, Yun-He Cai, Zhi-Yong Hou, Zheng-Miao Deng, Feng Li, Ye-Ai Zou, Yong-Hong Xie
Summary: Both seed and bud banks are important for the recruitment and maintenance of macrophyte communities. Seed banks mainly consist of annual species and a few perennials, while bud banks are composed of dominant perennials. Bud banks regulate the demography of dominant perennials, while seed banks contribute to the recruitment and dispersal of annual species. Therefore, the bud banks of dominant perennial species should be widely used in wetland restoration and management.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cintia Vanesa LEDER, Dianela Alejandra CALVO, Guadalupe PETER
Summary: Grazing negatively affects the seed rain, soil seed bank, and seedling recruitment of Nassella tenuis, especially in interpatch areas. Soil compaction, seed removal by wind, and increased cover of annual species decrease the soil seed bank of N. tenuis, particularly in microsites exposed to the prevailing wind direction. However, there is no difference in seed rain and soil seed bank density between grazed and ungrazed sites in shrub patches and interpatches.
JOURNAL OF ARID LAND
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hongbiao Zi, Xin Jing, Anrong Liu, Xiaomin Fan, Si-Chong Chen, Hao Wang, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: Climate warming has an impact on plant sexual reproduction, leading to changes in species distribution and community dynamics. The study found that warming overall decreased the number of fruits and increased seed mass, but had little effect on flower number, fruit mass, or seed number. The response of seed mass to warming was regulated by pollination type, with insect-pollinated plants showing a stronger response than wind-pollinated plants. The study also found that warming increased seed mass for nondominant species but not for dominant species. Phylogenetic relatedness did not explain the effects of warming on plant reproductive effort and success. Furthermore, there was a negative relationship between the effects of warming on flowering onset and the responses in terms of fruit and seed number, indicating a cascading effect of plant reproductive development.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adam P. Karremans, Diego Bogarin, Mauricio Fernandez Otarola, Jyotsna Sharma, Charlotte Watteyn, Jorge Warner, Bernal Rodriguez Herrera, Isler F. Chinchilla, Ernesto Carman, Emmanuel Rojas Valerio, Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya, Andy Whitworth
Summary: Identifying seed dispersal and persistence mechanisms is an important goal in ecology, and animal-mediated dispersal is a crucial form of dissemination in many plant communities. Orchids, predominantly adapted to wind dispersal, also exhibit exceptions such as bird, cricket, and mammal dispersal. Through in situ and ex situ experimentation, it has been shown for the first time that orchids in the Vanilla genus exhibit multimodal seed dispersal mechanisms, with both external and internal animal dispersal playing critical roles.
Article
Plant Sciences
Si-Chong Chen, Xiao-Wen Hu, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin
Summary: This study demonstrates that there is no trade-off between seed persistence and seedling emergence from the soil seed bank. Physically dormant seeds are more persistent but exhibit lower emergence. Monocarpic species have both higher persistence and emergence than polycarpic species. Seed mass has a marginal effect on persistence, while emergence increases nearly twofold from the smallest to the largest seeds.
Article
Plant Sciences
Elisa Soledad Panigo, Eugenia Oggero, Ignacio Miguel Dellaferrera, Carlos Agustin Alesso, Guillermo Ruben Chantre, Mariel Gladis Perreta, Andrea Guadalupe Reutemann
Summary: This study analyzed the morpho-anatomy, dormancy dynamics, and water entry of the fruit and dimorphic seeds of Commelina erecta, a successful weed species. The results showed that the fruit of C. erecta develops both free and coated seeds within dehiscent and indehiscent carpels, respectively. The main anatomical differences between the two seed types were observed in the testa and number of covering layers. Imbibition experiments indicated that both seed types lack physical dormancy and may exhibit physiological dormancy. Germinability experiments showed that the dormancy in free seeds varies throughout the reproductive season, while coated seeds have high dormancy throughout the season. The embryotega, an area where the seed coat hardness is interrupted, facilitates water entry. These findings are important for designing weed management strategies in agroecosystems.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mingjie Liu, Shaochun Xu, Shidong Yue, Yongliang Qiao, Yu Zhang, Xiaomei Zhang, Yi Zhou
Summary: This study proposes a method to evaluate the seed provision efficacy of detached eelgrass reproductive shoots. Mature seeds were collected from detached eelgrass reproductive shoots in Swan Lake, China, using in situ net cages. The results showed that each detached reproductive shoot produced an average of 50 viable seeds, and the potential seed yield overestimated the actual seed yields. The simplest treatment (a single reproductive shoot) was convenient and robust for this method, indicating its potential for improving the efficiency of seed use in restoration projects.
Article
Plant Sciences
Arley F. Muth, Christina Bonsell, Kenneth H. Dunton
Summary: The study revealed that kelp populations in close proximity to river input and increased turbidity in the inshore sites exhibit lower sporophyte densities, possibly due to the poor adaptation of haploid stages to low salinity and high light levels.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Theresa Strazisar, Marguerite S. Koch, Elizabeth Dutra, Christopher J. Madclen
Article
Environmental Sciences
Theresa Strazisar, Marguerite S. Koch, Christopher J. Madden
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2015)
Article
Ecology
Theresa Strazisar, Marguerite S. Koch, Christopher J. Madden, Joshua Filina, Pedro U. Lara, Amanda Mattair
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
(2013)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Theresa Strazisar, Marguerite S. Koch, Carl W. Santangelo, Christopher J. Madden
Summary: Research highlights the key factors of light and phosphorus limitation, salinity stress, and competition in controlling the reproduction of habitat-forming submerged aquatic vegetation Ruppia maritima in the Everglades.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jeffrey M. Schell, Deborah S. Goodwin, Rebecca H. Volk, Amy N. S. Siuda
Summary: Understanding the environmental tolerances and growth rates of different species of macroalgae is crucial for predicting their spatial and temporal dynamics. This study found that different morphotypes of Sargassum exhibited varying responses to temperature and salinity conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Erika Valzauez-Delfin, Carmen Galindo-De Santiago, Arely Paredes-Chi, Ameyalli Rios-Vazquez, Ana Benavides-Lahnstein, Kaysara Khatun, Juliet Brodie
Summary: Massive strandings of seaweed on the eastern coasts of the Yucat ' an peninsula, Mexico have become a major socioecological problem. A citizen science initiative, Big Seaweed Search Mexico (BSS-Mx), was developed to monitor temporal changes in the biomass stranded. The results represent baseline information that should be considered to develop management strategies and marine conservation actions according to each region.
Review
Plant Sciences
Lee H. Dietterich, Suhey Ortiz Rosa, Bianca R. Charbonneau, S. Kyle McKay
Summary: Riverine macrophytes play crucial ecological roles in river ecosystems, but their growth models have received relatively limited attention compared to other aquatic or terrestrial plants. This systematic review reveals that current models often overlook important factors such as shading and the role of macrophytes in nutrient cycles. Future research should focus on exploring these factors and developing a conceptual framework to guide macrophyte growth modeling. Emphasizing modularity and accessibility is also important for improving efforts to model and manage riverine ecosystems.
Review
Plant Sciences
Alba Martin, Jordi Corbera, Oriol Cano, Catherine Preece, Josep Penuelas, Francesc Sabater, Marcos Fernandez-Martinez
Summary: Bryophytes can play a significant role in ecosystem processes and hold potential as bio-indicators for monitoring environmental pollution. This study examined the effects of NO3- pollution on the elemental composition of aquatic and semi-aquatic bryophytes and identified suitable species as bio-indicators. Higher NO3- concentrations were found in spring water from intense farming and urban areas, positively correlated with N content and delta N-15 isotope ratio in bryophytes. Apopellia endiviifolia and Oxyrrhynchium speciosum were highlighted as promising candidates for bio-indication of aquatic NO3- pollution.
Article
Plant Sciences
Christine B. Rohal, Carrie Reinhardt Adams, Charles W. Martin, Sarah Tevlin, Laura K. Reynolds
Summary: This study investigated the seed production, seed banking, and germination cues of sub-tropical Vallisneria americana. It was found that the seeds of sub-tropical populations were dormant and could only germinate in the presence of organic material, light, or following scarification. Germination rate was enhanced by the presence of low-oxygen organic sediments and ethanol. These findings suggest a germination strategy focused on exploiting openings in existing vegetation following disturbance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Fabiano Faga, Carlos Frederico Deluqui Gurgel
Summary: Climate change is altering the distribution of marine biota, including Sargassum species. Future changes in abiotic variables are predicted to cause shifts in the latitudinal range and suitability area of Sargassum species. These changes may have significant impacts on marine ecosystems.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ulo Mander, Martin Maddison, Alex C. Valach, Kaido Soosaar, Keit Kill, Kuno Kasak
Summary: Constructed wetlands treating runoff from agricultural catchments can reduce nutrient load of water, but they can also be significant sources of greenhouse gases, especially methane. This study assessed methane emission potentials and phosphorus removal efficiency in a 0.45 ha in-stream surface flow constructed wetland, and analyzed the temporal dynamics of methane emissions and phosphorus removal over a nearly 4-year period. The results showed a clear seasonal dynamic in phosphorus removal efficiency and an increasing trend in methane emissions over the years, with the majority of methane fluxes occurring during the warm period. Maintenance of the wetland and regular removal of aboveground vegetation can reduce methane emissions, and regular sediment removal is also necessary due to phosphorus saturation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Monsif El Madany, Mustapha Hassoun, Fatima El Aamri, Noureddine El Mtili
Summary: The non-indigenous brown alga Rugulopteryx okamurae is invading and proliferating massively in the northwest of Morocco, including the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jessa May Malanguis, Tim Sierens, Ludwig Triest
Summary: This study demonstrates the importance of movement ecology and dispersal mechanism in the dynamics and resilience of seagrass populations and ecosystems. The comparison of genetic diversity and fine-scaled structure of two co-occurring seagrass species reveals the significance of different survival strategies and reproductive modes. These findings have important implications for conservation efforts, suggesting the preservation of natural expansion and local seed recruitment for successful conservation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhi-Huan Chen, Rui Zhang, Jun-Cai Xin, Zi-Han Qian, Shu-Jie Wang, Shang-Yan Qiu, Xue-Ge He, Chao Si
Summary: Nutrient availability and light intensity play important roles in the expansion of amphibious clonal plants from terrestrial to aquatic habitats. High nutrient levels and light conditions promote the growth of the apical portions and overall performance of the clones. Maintaining clonal integration can benefit the expansion of the plants by optimizing resource utilization. These findings have implications for predicting community dynamics and vegetation restoration in ecotones like wetlands.