Climate warming could increase recruitment success in glacier foreland plants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Glacier foreland plants are highly threatened by global warming. Regeneration from seeds on deglaciated terrain will be crucial for successful migration and survival of these species, and hence a better understanding of the impacts of climate change on seedling recruitment is urgently needed to predict future plant persistence in these environments. This study presents the first field evidence of the impact of climate change on recruitment success of glacier foreland plants. METHODS: Seeds of eight foreland species were sown on a foreland site at 2500 m a.s.l., and at a site 400 m lower in altitude to simulate a 2·7 °C increase in mean annual temperature. Soil from the site of origin was used to reproduce the natural germination substrate. Recruitment success, temperature and water potential were monitored for 2 years. The response of seed germination to warming was further investigated in the laboratory. KEY RESULTS: At the glacier foreland site, seedling emergence was low (0 to approx. 40 %) and occurred in summer in all species after seeds had experienced autumn and winter seasons. However, at the warmer site there was a shift from summer to autumn emergence in two species and a significant increase of summer emergence (13-35 % higher) in all species except two. Survival and establishment was possible for 60-75 % of autumn-emerged seedlings and was generally greater under warmer conditions. Early snowmelt in spring caused the main ecological factors enhancing the recruitment success. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that warming will influence the recruitment of glacier foreland species primarily via the extension of the snow-free period in spring, which increases seedling establishment and results in a greater resistance to summer drought and winter extremes. The changes in recruitment success observed here imply that range shifts or changes in abundance are possible in a future warmer climate, but overall success may be dependent on interactions with shifts in other components of the plant community.

Advances in seed conservation of wild plant species: a review of recent research.

Seed banking is now widely used for the ex situ conservation of wild plant species. Many seed banks that conserve wild species broadly follow international genebank guidelines for seed collection, processing, storage, and management. However, over the last 10-20 years, problems and knowledge gaps have been identified, which have led to more focused seed conservation research on diverse species. For example, there is now greater ecogeographic understanding of seed storage behaviour and of the relative longevity of orthodox seeds, and we are therefore able to predict which species should be conserved using cryostorage techniques; seed development studies have identified when seeds should be harvested for maximal tolerance of desiccation and longevity in storage, as well as highlighting how seed development can vary between species; and there is now a wealth of literature on the dormancy-breaking and germination requirements of wild species which, as well as enabling better management of accessions, will also mean that their use in restoration, species reintroduction, or for evaluation for other applications is possible. Future research may be focused, for example, on nursery and plant production systems for wild plant species that maximize genetic diversity, so that introduced seeds and plant materials have the resilience to cope with future environmental stresses.

Climate warming could shift the timing of seed germination in alpine plants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite the considerable number of studies on the impacts of climate change on alpine plants, there have been few attempts to investigate its effect on regeneration. Recruitment from seeds is a key event in the life-history of plants, affecting their spread and evolution and seasonal changes in climate will inevitably affect recruitment success. Here, an investigation was made of how climate change will affect the timing and the level of germination in eight alpine species of the glacier foreland. METHODS: Using a novel approach which considered the altitudinal variation of temperature as a surrogate for future climate scenarios, seeds were exposed to 12 different cycles of simulated seasonal temperatures in the laboratory, derived from measurements at the soil surface at the study site. KEY RESULTS: Under present climatic conditions, germination occurred in spring, in all but one species, after seeds had experienced autumn and winter seasons. However, autumn warming resulted in a significant increase in germination in all but two species. In contrast, seed germination was less sensitive to changes in spring and/or winter temperatures, which affected only three species. CONCLUSIONS: Climate warming will lead to a shift from spring to autumn emergence but the extent of this change across species will be driven by seed dormancy status. Ungerminated seeds at the end of autumn will be exposed to shorter winter seasons and lower spring temperatures in a future, warmer climate, but these changes will only have a minor impact on germination. The extent to which climate change will be detrimental to regeneration from seed is less likely to be due to a significant negative effect on germination per se, but rather to seedling emergence in seasons that the species are not adapted to experience. Emergence in autumn could have major implications for species currently adapted to emerge in spring.

Relative embryo length as an adaptation to habitat and life cycle in Apiaceae.

• The factors driving the evolution of the relative embryo length in Apiaceae were examined. We tested the hypothesis that seeds with large relative embryo length, because of more rapid germination, are beneficial in dry and open habitats and for short-lived species. We also analyzed to what extent delayed germination as a result of embryo growth can be considered a dormancy mechanism. • Hypotheses were tested by correlating the relative embryo length with other plant traits, habitat and climatic variables. The adaptive nature of the relative embryo length was determined by comparing the performance of a pure drift, Brownian motion (BM) model of trait evolution with that of a selection-inertia, Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) model. • A positive correlation of the relative embryo length with germination speed and negative correlations with the amount of habitat shade, longevity and precipitation were found. An OU model, in which the evolution of longer embryos corresponded to a transition to habitats of high light, or to a short life cycle, outperformed significantly a BM model. • The results indicated that the relative embryo length may have evolved as an adaptation to habitat and life cycle, whereas dormancy was mainly related to temperature at the sampling sites.

Parental effects modulate seed longevity: exploring parental and offspring phenotypes to elucidate pre-zygotic environmental influences.

• Seed longevity, which is essential for germplasm conservation and survival of many land plant species, can vary considerably within species and cultivars. Here, we explore the relationship between parental and offspring phenotypes to elucidate how pre-zygotic environment affects seed longevity. • Plants of the wild species Plantago cunninghamii were exposed to wet or dry soil within a warm or cool glasshouse until flowering and then moved to a common environment. Seeds subsequently produced were collected at maturity, and longevity was assessed by controlled ageing at 45°C, 60% relative humidity. Multivariate analysis was used to examine relationships between the parental and offspring phenotypes. • The pre-zygotic environment resulted in a highly plastic parental response which was passed on to offspring seeds and changed their longevity (p(50)) by more than a factor of 2. Seed longevity is a function of the seed population's distribution of deaths in time (σ) and quality (K(i)); σ was associated with plant size, and K(i) with reproductive plant traits. • The pre-zygotic growth environment modulated seed longevity via a parental effect. Reproductive performance and seed quality (K(i)) were highly correlated with each other and unrelated to the maternal plant phenotype. Hence seed quality may be associated with the paternal plant response to the environment.

Seeds of alpine plants are short lived: implications for long-term conservation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alpine plants are considered one of the groups of species most sensitive to the direct and indirect threats to ecosystems caused by land use and climate change. Collecting and banking seeds of plant species is recognized as an effective tool for providing propagating material to re-establish wild plant populations and for habitat repair. However, seeds from cold wet environments have been shown to be relatively short lived in storage, and therefore successful long-term seed conservation for alpine plants may be difficult. Here, the life spans of 69 seed lots representing 63 related species from alpine and lowland locations from northern Italy are compared. METHODS: Seeds were placed into experimental storage at 45 °C and 60 % relative humidity (RH) and regularly sampled for germination. The time taken in storage for viability to fall to 50 % (p(50)) was determined using probit analysis and used as a measure of relative seed longevity between seed lots. KEY RESULTS: Across species, p(50) at 45 °C and 60 % RH varied from 4·7 to 95·5 d. Seed lots from alpine populations/species had significantly lower p(50) values compared with those from lowland populations/species; the lowland seed lots showed a slower rate of loss of germinability, higher initial seed viability, or both. Seeds were progressively longer lived with increased temperature and decreased rainfall at the collecting site. CONCLUSIONS: Seeds of alpine plants are short lived in storage compared with those from lowland populations/related taxa. The lower resistance to ageing in seeds of alpine plants may arise from low selection pressure for seed resistance to ageing and/or damage incurred during seed development due to the cool wet conditions of the alpine climate. Long-term seed conservation of several alpine species using conventional seed banking methods will be problematic.

Ecological correlates of ex situ seed longevity: a comparative study on 195 species.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Extended seed longevity in the dry state is the basis for the ex situ conservation of 'orthodox' seeds. However, even under identical storage conditions there is wide variation in seed life-span between species. Here, the effects of seed traits and environmental conditions at the site of collection on seed longevity is explored for195 wild species from 71 families from environments ranging from cold deserts to tropical forests. METHODS: Seeds were rapidly aged at elevated temperature and relative humidity (either 45 degrees C and 60% RH or 60 degrees C and 60% RH) and regularly sampled for germination. The time taken in storage for viability to fall to 50% (p(50)) was determined using Probit analysis and used as a measure of relative seed longevity between species. KEY RESULTS: Across species, p(50) at 45 degrees C and 60% RH varied from 0.1 d to 771 d. Endospermic seeds were, in general, shorter lived than non-endospermic seeds and seeds from hot, dry environments were longer lived than those from cool, wet conditions. These relationships remained significant when controlling for the effects of phylogenetic relatedness using phylogenetically independent contrasts. Seed mass and oil content were not correlated with p(50). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that the endospermic seeds of early angiosperms which evolved in forest understorey habitats are short-lived. Extended longevity presumably evolved as a response to climatic change or the invasion of drier areas. The apparent short-lived nature of endospermic seeds from cool wet environments may have implications for re-collection and re-testing strategies in ex situ conservation.