Restoration implications of the germination ecology of six dry-forest woody Fabaceae species in Mexico

• Germination kickstarts plant recruitment. Hence, acknowledging this process is a prerequisite for restoration of ecosystems. In dry forests, where opportunities for plant establishment occur in a narrow window of opportunity, seeds must respond to cues to germinate when conditions for growth are suitable. Understanding the strategies and adaptations of seeds to the seasonal dry-forest ecosystems is needed to guide restoration and management actions in the face of climate change. We investigated the effects of scarification, temperature and light in germination percentage, germination time and synchrony of six woody Fabaceae species. The species have ecological potential for restoration and are of cultural and economic importance for the local people in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. We carried out a multifactorial germination experiment with five temperatures, two light regimes and two scarification conditions for Mimosa luisana, M. polyantha, M. adenantheroides, M. lactiflua, Acaciella angustissima and Vachellia constricta. Responses differed among the species, but they all germinated in a wide range of temperatures (10°C to 40°C). Mechanical scarification highly increased the germination percentage of all species. Higher temperature increased and speeded up germination in dark conditions for most of the species. We found more heterogeneous responses in germination synchrony among species. Despite that the studied species had high germination percentages in warm temperatures, their recruitment in nature might be negatively affected by warmer and drier conditions, and by the loss of shade and seed dispersers due to deforestation and changes in land use. It is crucial to study not just germination percentage and time but also other aspects of the germination process such as the germination synchrony, since it might reveal useful information for management actions.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Restoration ecology

climate change

dry forest

germination

Fabaceae

ekologisk botanik

Ecological Botany

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)