*
 

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

*

Is there an effect of storage depth on the persistence of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.) seeds? A seed burial experiment

Katharina Tiebel   , Franka Huth, Sven Wagner

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 14, Issue 3, Pages 224-230 (2021)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor3685-014
Published: May 06, 2021 - Copyright © 2021 SISEF

Research Articles


Sorbus aucuparia L. (rowan) and Betula spp. (birch) are the most common of the early successional pioneer tree species in central Europe with the ability to form a soil seed bank. Little is known about the reasons for the high variations observed in the persistence in the soil of rowan and birch seeds. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of buried birch and rowan seeds to form short-term persistent soil seed banks and to analyse the influence of burial depth on seed persistence. An artificial seed burial experiment was initiated to study the persistence of birch seeds and rowan seeds, with and without pulp, stored at depths of 2, 5 and 10 cm in mineral soil over 2.5 years. The predicted maximum storability periods for buried birch seeds was 13 years, compared to 4.5 years for rowan seeds with pulp and 3.5 years without pulp. The lower storage capacity of rowan seeds was demonstrated by germinations in the darkness within soil of 3-22% of seeds without pulp and 4-48% of seeds with pulp. Germination percentages of birch and rowan with and without pulp did not differ between depths. Only burial duration had an effect for either tree species. Birch and rowan seeds are able to form short-term persistent soil seed banks. Birch accumulates a seed reserve in the soil over time, until a change in conditions conducive to germination occurs, while rowan seeds germinate promptly after overcoming seed dormancy. The pulp provides no benefits in relation to the persistence of rowan seeds; rather, it appears to act as a physical inhibitor of germination. Therefore, annual input of fresh seeds is required for the success of rowan. Seed input every few years seems sufficient to guarantee a minimum number of viable birch seeds.

  Keywords


Soil, Propagule Bank, Seed Longevity, Germination Within Soil, Pioneer Trees, Dormancy

Authors’ address

(1)
Katharina Tiebel 0000-0003-2492-6695
Franka Huth
Sven Wagner 0000-0003-3796-3444
TU Dresden, Institute of Silviculture and Forest Protection, Chair of Silviculture, Pienner Str. 8, 01737 Tharandt (Germany)

Corresponding author

Citation

Tiebel K, Huth F, Wagner S (2021). Is there an effect of storage depth on the persistence of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.) seeds? A seed burial experiment. iForest 14: 224-230. - doi: 10.3832/ifor3685-014

Academic Editor

Emilia Allevato

Paper history

Received: Oct 28, 2020
Accepted: Mar 21, 2021

First online: May 06, 2021
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2021
Publication Time: 1.53 months

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 23290
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 20093
Abstract Page Views: 1158
PDF Downloads: 1719
Citation/Reference Downloads: 2
XML Downloads: 318

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 1048
Overall contacts: 23290
Avg. contacts per week: 155.56

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)

Total number of cites (since 2021): 2
Average cites per year: 0.67

 

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

 
(1)
Afroze F, Reilly C (2015)
Effect of harvest date, drying, short-term storage and freezing after chilling on the germination of rowan seeds. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 31: 339-346.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(2)
Anderson MD (2004)
Prunus pensylvanica. Web site.
Online | Gscholar
(3)
Atkinson MD (1992)
Betula pendula Roth (B. verrucosa Ehrh.) and B. pubescens Ehrh. Journal of Ecology 80: 837-870.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(4)
Bakker JP, Bakker ES, Rosén E, Verwej GL, Bekker RM (1996a)
Soil seed bank composition along a gradient from dry alvar grassland to Juniperus shrubland. Journal of Vegetation Science 7: 165-176.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(5)
Bakker JP, Poschlod P, Strykstra RJ, Bekker RM, Thompson K (1996b)
Seed banks and seed dispersal: important topics in restoration ecology. Acta Botanica Neerlandica 45: 461-490.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(6)
Barclay AM, Crawford RMM (1984)
Seedling emergence in the rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) from an altitudinal gradient. Journal of Ecology 72: 627-636.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(7)
Bekker RM, Oomes MJM, Bakker JP (1998)
The impact of groundwater level on soil seed bank survival. Seed Science Research 8: 399-404.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(8)
Bewley JD (1997)
Seed germination and dormancy. The Plant Cell 9: 1055-1066.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(9)
Bolker B, Skaug H, Magnusson A, Nielsen A (2012)
Getting started with the glmmADMB package.
Online | Gscholar
(10)
Bossuyt B, Honnay O (2008)
Can the seed bank be used for ecological restoration? An overview of seed bank characteristics in European communities. Journal of Vegetation Science 19: 875-884.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(11)
Bradbeer JW (1988)
Seed dormancy and germination. Blackie and Son Ltd, Glasgow and London, UK, pp. 146.
Gscholar
(12)
Brouwer W, Stählin A (1975)
Handbuch der Samenkunde für Landwirtschaft, Gartenbau und Forstwirtschaft [Seed manual of agriculture, horticulture and forestry]. DLG-Verlags-GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, pp. 655. [in German]
Gscholar
(13)
Buckley GP, Howell R, Anderson MA (1997)
Vegetation succession following ride edge management in lowland plantations and woods. 2. The seed bank resource. Biological Conservation 82: 305-316.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(14)
Cierjacks A, Kowarik I, Joshi J, Hempel S, Ristow M, Lippe Von M D, Weber E (2013)
Biological flora of the British Isles: Robinia pseudoacacia. Journal of Ecology 101: 1623-1640.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(15)
Dalling JW, Swaine MD, Garwood NC (1997)
Soil seed bank community dynamics in seasonally moist lowland tropical forest, Panama. Journal of Tropical Ecology 13: 659-680.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(16)
Dölle M, Schmidt W (2009)
The relationship between soil seed bank, above-ground vegetation and disturbance intensity on old-field successional permanent plots. Applied Vegetation Science 12: 415-428.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(17)
Erlbeck R (1998)
Die Vogelbeere (Sorbus aucuparia) - ein Porträt des Baumes des Jahres 1997 [Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) - a portrait of the tree of the year 1997]. In: “Beiträge zur Vogelbeere” (Schmidt O ed). Berichte aus der Bayrischen Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft 17: 2-14. [in German]
Gscholar
(18)
Falahati-Anbaran M, Lundemo S, Stenien HK (2014)
Seed dispersal in time can counteract the effect of gene flow between natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana. New Phytologist 202: 1043-1054.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(19)
Falinska K (1999)
Seed bank dynamics in abandoned meadows during a 20-year period in the Bialowieza National Park. Journal of Ecology 87: 461-475.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(20)
Fiedler HJ, Hofmann W (1978)
Standortskundlicher Exkursionsführer “Tharandt-Grillenburger Wald” - Bodennutzung und Bodenschutz [Site-specific excursion guide “Tharandt-Grillenburger forest” - Land use and soil protection]. Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany, pp. 80. [in German]
Gscholar
(21)
Goldberg V, Baums AB, Häntzschel J (2002)
Klima, Boden und Landnutzung [Climate, soil and land use]. In: “Exkursions- und Praktikumsführer Tharandter Wald” (Bernhofer C, Berger FH, Goldberg V eds). Tharandter Klimaprotokolle Band 6, Dresden, Germany, pp. 15-26. [in German]
Gscholar
(22)
Gomes FM, Oliveira CC, Rocha Miranda R, Costa RC, Loiola MIB (2019)
Relationships between soil seed bank composition and standing vegetation along chronosequences in a tropical dry forest in north-eastern Brazil. Journal of Tropical Ecology 35: 173-184.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(23)
Granström A (1987)
Seed viability of fourteen species during five years of storage in a forest soil. Journal of Ecology 75: 321-331.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(24)
Grime JP, Mason G, Curtis AV, Rodman J, Band SR (1981)
A comparative study of germination characteristics in a local flora. Journal of Ecology 69: 1017-1059.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(25)
Hill MO (1979)
The development of a flora in even-aged plantations. In: “The Ecology of Even-Aged Forest Plantations” (Ford ED, Malcolm DC, Atterson J eds). Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Cambridge, UK, pp. 175-192.
Online | Gscholar
(26)
Hille Ris Lambers J, Clark JS, Lavine M (2005)
Implications of seed banking for recruitment of southern Appalachian woody species. Ecology 86: 85-95.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(27)
Huth F (2009)
Untersuchungen zur Verjüngungsökologie der Sand-Birke (Betula pendula Roth) [Study of regeneration cycle of sand birch (Betula pendula Roth)]. PhD thesis, Dresden University of Technology, Germany, pp. 383. [in German]
Gscholar
(28)
ISTA (2012)
International rules for seed testing 2012. International Seed Testing Association - ISTA, Bassersdorf, Switzerland, pp. 379.
Gscholar
(29)
Jankowska-Blaszczuk M (1998)
Variability of the soil seed banks in the natural deciduous forest in the Bialowieza National Park. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 67: 313-324.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(30)
Masaka K, Yamada K, Koyama Y, Sato H, Kon H, Torita H (2010)
Changes in size of soil seed bank in Robinia pseudoacacia L. (Leguminosae), an exotic tall tree species in Japan: impacts of stand growth and apicultural utilization. Forest Ecology and Management 260: 780-786.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(31)
Mennan H (2003)
The effects of depth and duration of burial on seasonal germination, dormancy and viability of Galium aparine and Bifora radians seeds. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 189: 304-309.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(32)
Midmore EK, McCartan SA, Jinks RL, Cahalan CM (2015)
Using thermal time models to predict germination of five provenances of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in southern England. Silva Fennica 49: 1-12.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(33)
Miles J (1974)
Experimental establishment of new species from seed in Callunetum in north-east Scotland. Journal of Ecology 62: 527-551.
Online | Gscholar
(34)
Nebe W (1982)
Natürliche Grundlagen des Waldwachstums und der Waldentwicklung. Der Tharandter Wald [Natural bases of forest growth and forest development. The Tharandt Forest]. Beitrag zur Heimatgeschichte 7, Forststadt Tharandt, Tharandt, Germany, pp. 96. [in German]
Gscholar
(35)
Perala DA, Alm AA (1990)
Reproductive ecology of birch: a review. Forest Ecology and Management 32: 1-38.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(36)
Plue J, Verheyen K, Van Calster H, Marage D, Thompson K, Kalamees R, Jankowska-Blaszczuk M, Bossuyt B, Hermy M (2010)
Seed banks of temperate deciduous forests during secondary succession. Journal of Vegetation Science 21: 965-978.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(37)
Prien S (1964)
Untersuchungen über waldbauliche und holzkundliche Eigenschaften der Eberesche (Sorbus aucuparia L.) [Studies on silvicultural and wood science properties of the rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.)]. PhD thesis, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany, pp. 227. [in German]
Gscholar
(38)
R Core Team (2014)
R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Web site.
Online | Gscholar
(39)
Raspé O, Findlay C, Jacquemart A-L (2000)
Sorbus aucuparia L. Jornal of Ecology 88: 910-930.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(40)
Saatkamp A, Poschlod P, Venable DL (2014)
The functional role of soil seed banks in natural communities. In: “Seeds: The Ecology of Regeneration in Plant Communities” (Gallagher RS ed). CAB International, Oxfordshire, UK, pp. 263-295.
Online | Gscholar
(41)
Sarvas R (1948)
A research on the regeneration of birch in south Finland. Communicationes Instituti Forestalis Fenniae 35: 82-91.
Gscholar
(42)
Satake A, Bjørnstad ON, Kobro S (2004)
Masting and trophic cascades: interplay between rowan trees, apple fruit moth, and their parasitoid in Southern Norway. Oikos 104: 540-550.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(43)
Schafer DE, Chilcote DO (1967)
Factors influencing dormancy and persistence in buried seed of five grass species. Crop Science 10: 342-345.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(44)
Schwanecke W, Kopp D (1996)
Forstliche Wuchsgebiete und Wuchsbezirke im Freistaat Sachsen [Forest growing areas and growing districts in the Free State of Saxony]. Sächsische Landesanstalt für Forsten (LAF), Graupa, Germany, pp. 191. [in German]
Gscholar
(45)
Schwienbacher E, Marcante S, Erschbamer B (2010)
Alpine species seed longevity in the soil in relation to seed size and shape - A 5-year burial experiment in the Central Alps. Flora 205: 19-25.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(46)
Skoglund J, Verwijst T (1989)
Age structure of woody species populations in relation to seed rain, germination and establishment along the river Dalälven, Sweden. Vegetation 82: 25-34.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(47)
Spethmann W (2000)
Generative Gehölzvermehrung [Generative propagation of woody plants]. In: “Krüssmanns Gehölzvermehrung” [Kruessmann’s propagation of woody plants] (Mac Cárthaigh D, Spethmann W eds). Parey Verlag, Berlin, Germany, pp. 2-57. [in German]
Gscholar
(48)
Stiebel H (2003)
Frugivorie bei mitteleuropäischen Vögeln [Frugivorie of central European birds]. PhD thesis, Faculty of mathematics and natural sciences, Carl-von-Ossietzki-University of Oldenburg, Wilhelmshaven, Germany, pp. 219. [in German]
Gscholar
(49)
Thompson K, Bakker J, Bekker R (1997)
The soil seed banks of north west Europe: methodology, density and longevity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 276.
Gscholar
(50)
Tiebel K, Huth F, Wagner S (2018)
Soil seed banks of pioneer tree species in European temperate forests: a review. iForest 11: 48-57.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(51)
Tiebel K, Huth Frischbier N, Wagner S (2020)
Restrictions on natural regeneration of storm-felled spruce sites by silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) through limitations in fructification and seed dispersal. European Journal of Forest Research 139: 731-745.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(52)
Toole EH, Brown E (1946)
Final results of the Duvel buried seed experiment. Journal of Agricultural Research 72: 201-210.
Gscholar
(53)
Van TK, Rayamajhi MB, Center TD (2005)
Seed longevity of Melaleuva quinquenervia: a burial experiment in South Florida. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 43: 39-42.
Gscholar
(54)
Zhang Z, Gao P-L, Dai W-M, Song X-L, Hu F, Qiang S (2019)
Effect of tillage and burial depth and density of seed on viability and seedling emergence of weedy rice. Journal of Integrative Agriculture 18: 1914-192.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(55)
Zobel M, Kalamees R, Püssa K, Roosaluste E, Moora M (2007)
Soil seed bank and vegetation in mixed coniferous forest stands with different disturbance regimes. Forest Ecology and Management 250: 71-76.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(56)
Zuur AF, Ieno EN, Walker NJ, Saveliev A, Smith GM (2009)
Mixed effects and extensions in ecology with R. Springer Science and Business Media, New York, USA, pp. 574.
Online | Gscholar
(57)
Zywiec M, Holeksa J, Wesolowska M, Szewczyk J, Zwijacz-Kozica T, Kapusta P, Bruun HH (2013)
Sorbus aucuparia regeneration in a coarse-grained spruce forest - a landscape scale. Journal of Vegetation Science 24: 735-743.
CrossRef | Gscholar
 

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. More info