Article
Plant Sciences
Y. S. Athugala, K. M. G. Gehan Jayasuriya, A. M. T. A. Gunaratne, C. C. Baskin
Summary: This study aimed to develop a seed dormancy profile for tropical montane forests of Sri Lanka and found that the majority of species in this ecosystem exhibit dormancy, with different species showing various types of dormancy mechanisms.
Article
Horticulture
Souad Mehalaine, Taha Menasria, Haroun Chenchouni
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the seed germination conditions of three Lamiaceae species in Algeria. Two experiments were carried out: ex vitro and in vitro germination tests. In the ex vitro experiment, the combination of different conditions did not have a significant effect on germination success rate (GSR) in all three species. In the in vitro experiment, Thymus algeriensis showed high GSR, while Marrubium vulgare had significantly high GSR with the application of gibberellic acid (GA3) at certain doses and continuous darkness. Rosmarinus officinalis had a very low GSR regardless of the treatments used.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
C. Rodriguez-Morata, A. Pacheco-Solana, G. Ticse-Otarola, T. E. Boza Espinoza, D. B. Crispin-DelaCruz, G. M. Santos, M. S. Morales, E. J. Requena-Rojas, L. Andreu-Hayles
Summary: This study assesses the dendrochronological potential of Polylepis microphylla and its climate sensitivity using classic dendrochronological methods, radiocarbon analyses, and Quantitative Wood Anatomy (QWA). The findings suggest that QWA provides promising new proxies for reconstructing climate variability in the tropical Andes region.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cecilia Tobar-Suarez, Nicolas Urbina-Cardona, Fabricio Villalobos, Eduardo Pineda
Summary: The study found that amphibian species richness increases towards the equator in the Neotropics, with distinct patterns in different taxa and their relationship to climate variables. Climate variables explained less than half of the variations in total species richness, indicating that factors such as historical biogeography and orographic heterogeneity may also play crucial roles.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jorge Brito, Nicolas Tinoco, C. Miguel Pinto, Rubi Garcia, Claudia Koch, Vincent Fernandez, Santiago Burneo, Ulyses F. J. Pardinas
Summary: The Andean cloud forests in Ecuador are home to many unique mammals, and the Thomasomyini rodents, with Thomasomys being the largest genus, are well represented in the Andes. However, there are still genera within this group that have not been taxonomically revised, and Chilomys Thomas, 1897, is an example of these overlooked Andean cricetids. After years of field work in Ecuador, a large number of Chilomys specimens were collected, indicating that what is currently considered C. instans in Ecuador is actually a complex comprising of at least five new species. This discovery suggests that Chilomys likely has additional hidden diversity in other parts of Colombia and Peru, and calls for a revision of the entire genus.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gyeong Ho Jang, Jae Min Chung, Yong Ha Rhie, Seung Youn Lee
Summary: This study investigates the germination and dormancy break requirements of Veronicastrum sibiricum seeds and compares their dormancy class with other Veronicastrum and Veronica species. The results show that physiological dormancy prevents germination in the field, but is relieved in March of the next year. Laboratory experiments reveal that cold stratification and GA(3) treatment effectively break physiological dormancy and initiate germination. The study also highlights the divergent dormancy traits in the Veronicastrum-Veronica clade.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Oswaldo Jadan, David A. Donoso, Hugo Cedillo, Fernando Bermudez, Omar Cabrera
Summary: Composition, diversity, and structure of trees in tropical montane forests are influenced by ecological gradients and local succession. The study found that tree composition is explained by age since abandonment, while precipitation and Manganese play a role in explaining plant composition. Interactions between age, precipitation, and soil nutrients concentration influence species richness and structure of arboreal vegetation in fragmented landscapes in southern Ecuador.
Article
Plant Sciences
Catherine Fahey, Stephen Luke Flory
Summary: The study found that invasive plants and simulated drought did not have significant soil legacy effects on plant growth and competition, but soil microbes played a significant role in plant competition. In competitions, soil microbes created a competitive hierarchy where pine was more competitive than wiregrass and cogongrass.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Margherita Gioria, Angelino Carta, Carol C. Baskin, Wayne Dawson, Franz Essl, Holger Kreft, Jan Pergl, Mark van Kleunen, Patrick Weigelt, Marten Winter, Petr Pysek
Summary: The ability of plants to form persistent seed banks is strongly associated with naturalisation and invasiveness, while traits like seed bank densities play a relatively weaker role. Knowledge of seed persistence can enhance our predictive ability for global naturalisation and invasiveness.
Article
Plant Sciences
Amber J. Johnson, Bradley Geary, April Hulet, Matthew D. Madsen
Summary: Many plant species have strong seed dormancy, which can impede restoration efforts. This study found that coating seeds with GA(3)-impregnated polymer can overcome dormancy and increase germination rate. Additionally, creating a favorable microsite with increased soil moisture can also mitigate seed dormancy. The research compared the establishment of coated and uncoated seeds under different planting conditions and found that both GA(3) seed coating and deep, U-shaped furrows can improve the restoration success of some native forbs.
Article
Agronomy
Linxuan Pan, Feng He, Qiuju Liang, Yanwen Bo, Xin Lin, Qaiser Javed, Muhammad Saif Ullah, Jianfan Sun
Summary: This study examined the effects of caffeic acid and its derivatives on the growth and competitiveness of the native plant Lantana indica and the invasive plant Solidago canadensis. The results showed that high concentrations of methyl caffeate and ethyl caffeate significantly reduced the seed germination rate and speed of L. indica. In addition, the control group of S. canadensis had higher plant height, stem diameter, biomass, and root length compared to the treated groups. However, the relative competitiveness of L. indica gradually decreased with increasing concentration of allelochemicals.
Article
Plant Sciences
Lise Thouvenot, Olga Ferlian, Remy Beugnon, Tom Kuenne, Alfred Lochner, Madhav P. Thakur, Manfred Tuerke, Nico Eisenhauer
Summary: The study found that invasive earthworms have led to changes in plant communities in North American forests, but their impact on plant community biomass and cover is not significant. The functional trait responses of different plants to earthworm invasion are species-specific, with some traits showing opposite responses within the presence of earthworms.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jane E. Tuthill, Yvette K. Ortega, Dean E. Pearson
Summary: Most terrestrial plants disperse by seeds, but the relationship between seed traits and plant dispersion patterns is not well understood. This study examined seed traits of 48 plant species in western Montana grasslands to investigate this relationship. It was found that larger-seeded introduced plants were more likely to have dispersal adaptations, suggesting that they may need these adaptations to overcome limitations and barriers. Database seed masses correlated with local estimates, but locally collected data provided more valid results for community-level questions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Angelino Carta, Eduardo Fernandez-Pascual, Margherita Gioria, Jonas Mueller, Stephane Riviere, Sergey Rosbakh, Arne Saatkamp, Filip Vandelook, Efisio Mattana
Summary: This study used germination data from European plants to investigate the role of climate and phylogenetic relatedness in shaping the germination niche of temperate plants. The results showed that climate and phylogenetic relatedness play important roles in determining the germination responses of plants. In warm and dry climates, seed germination is inhibited by cold and alternating temperature, while in climates with high temperature seasonality, opposite responses can be observed. Additionally, germination responses are influenced by seed mass but not climate. There is a phylogenetic signal in the response of seeds to experimental conditions, but phylogenetically distant lineages exhibit similar germination responses under similar climates.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aida Cuni-Sanchez, Martin J. P. Sullivan, Philip J. Platts, Simon L. Lewis, Rob Marchant, Gerard Imani, Wannes Hubau, Iveren Abiem, Hari Adhikari, Tomas Albrecht, Jan Altman, Christian Amani, Abreham B. Aneseyee, Valerio Avitabile, Lindsay Banin, Rodrigue Batumike, Marijn Bauters, Hans Beeckman, Serge K. Begne, Amy C. Bennett, Robert Bitariho, Pascal Boeckx, Jan Bogaert, Achim Braeuning, Franklin Bulonvu, Neil D. Burgess, Kim Calders, Colin Chapman, Hazel Chapman, James Comiskey, Thales de Haulleville, Mathieu Decuyper, Ben DeVries, Jiri Dolezal, Vincent Droissart, Corneille Ewango, Senbeta Feyera, Aster Gebrekirstos, Roy Gereau, Martin Gilpin, Dismas Hakizimana, Jefferson Hall, Alan Hamilton, Olivier Hardy, Terese Hart, Janne Heiskanen, Andreas Hemp, Martin Herold, Ulrike Hiltner, David Horak, Marie-Noel Kamdem, Charles Kayijamahe, David Kenfack, Mwangi J. Kinyanjui, Julia Klein, Janvier Lisingo, Jon Lovett, Mark Lung, Jean-Remy Makana, Yadvinder Malhi, Andrew Marshall, Emanuel H. Martin, Edward T. A. Mitchard, Alexandra Morel, John T. Mukendi, Tom Muller, Felix Nchu, Brigitte Nyirambangutse, Joseph Okello, Kelvin S. -H. Peh, Petri Pellikka, Oliver L. Phillips, Andrew Plumptre, Lan Qie, Francesco Rovero, Moses N. Sainge, Christine B. Schmitt, Ondrej Sedlacek, Alain S. K. Ngute, Douglas Sheil, Demisse Sheleme, Tibebu Y. Simegn, Murielle Simo-Droissart, Bonaventure Sonke, Teshome Soromessa, Terry Sunderland, Miroslav Svoboda, Hermann Taedoumg, James Taplin, David Taylor, Sean C. Thomas, Jonathan Timberlake, Darlington Tuagben, Peter Umunay, Eustrate Uzabaho, Hans Verbeeck, Jason Vleminckx, Goran Wallin, Charlotte Wheeler, Simon Willcock, John T. Woods, Etienne Zibera
Summary: The study reveals that the aboveground carbon stock of a montane African forest network is comparable to that of a lowland African forest network, and is two-thirds higher than default values for these montane forests. The research provides country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modeled from the plot network, aiming to guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. The findings emphasize the need to conserve these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.
Article
Ecology
Daniela Cardona Alzate, Mario Alberto Quijano-Abril, Daniela Salazar-Suaza, Carlos Eduardo Giraldo-Sanchez, Jose Miguel Rojas-Villa
Summary: Seeds have morphoanatomical characteristics that determine plant survival and dormancy. However, seeds of aquatic plants have received less attention than terrestrial plants in morphoanatomical studies, especially in the Andes. This research studied the morphoanatomy and floristic composition of seed banks in Andean wetlands. The results showed that the seed banks were dominated by native aquatic plant species and had species with morphophysiological dormancy and combined dormancy.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yessica P. Duque, Carlos E. Giraldo-Sanchez, Mario A. Quijano-Abril, Jose M. Rojas
Summary: This study analyzed the diversity of vegetation and weed seed banks in three agricultural systems and a forest ecosystem in the northern Andes of Colombia. The results revealed differences in weed composition between the forest ecosystem and agricultural systems, with higher dominance in the agricultural systems.