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Timing of seed dispersal and dormancy, rather than persistent soil seed-banks, control seedling recruitment of woody plants in Neotropical savannas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2011

Ana Salazar ,
Guillermo Goldstein ,
Augusto C. Franco  and
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm
Ana Salazar*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida33124-0421, USA
Guillermo Goldstein
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida33124-0421, USA Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional and CONICET, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Núñez, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Augusto C. Franco
Affiliation:
Departamento de Botanica, Universidade de Brasilia, Caixa Postal 04457, Brasilia, DF70919-970, Brazil
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 W. Flagler Street, EC 3680, Miami, Florida33174, USA
*
*Correspondence Fax: +1-305 284 3039 Email: ana@bio.miami.edu
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Abstract

A large fraction of tree species forming persistent soil seed-banks and with dormant seeds are expected to be found in strongly seasonal ecosystems such as Neotropical savannas, where seedling recruitment could be highly variable. In the savannas of Central Brazil, we studied seed characteristics (type of dormancy, longevity and moisture content) of 14 representative woody species differing in seed dispersal season. We also studied the dynamics of soil seed-banks and similarity patterns in woody species composition among seed rain, soil seed-bank, seedling bank and standing vegetation along shallow topographic gradients that differ in canopy cover. Woody species composition of the soil seed-bank largely differed from the standing vegetation, the seed rain and the seedling bank species composition, suggesting low recruitment of woody species from the soil seed-bank. Seeds of the 14 woody species remained viable for less than 16 months in laboratory dry-storage conditions. Of those, most seeds dispersed in the dry season were dormant and exhibited low moisture content, while most seeds dispersed in the wet season were non-dormant and exhibited high moisture content. Longevity of these seeds dispersed in the dry and the wet seasons did not differ significantly. This study shows that both timing of seed dispersal and dormancy appear to control timing of seed germination and seedling recruitment of most Neotropical savanna woody species, which did not form persistent soil seed-banks. This study contributes to the understanding of tree/grass coexistence and tree density variations along topographic gradients in tropical savannas.

Keywords

life history stageseed dormancy typesseed ecologyseed longevityseedling banktree density gradientstropical savannas
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , June 2011 , pp. 103 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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