INVESTIGADORES
GHERMANDI Luciana
artículos
Título:
Seed longevity and fire: post-germination responses of Rumex acetosella L. in NW Patagonian grasslands
Autor/es:
FRANZESE JORGELINA1* AND GHERMANDI LUCIANA1
Revista:
PLANT SPECIES BIOLOGY
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Lugar: Londres; Año: 2014 p. 202 - 206
ISSN:
0913-557X
Resumen:
The cosmopolitan herb Rumex acetosella forms persistent soil seed banks and increases
in cover after fire. We investigated how the interaction between seed age and fire affects
seedling growth by exposing different-aged seeds to heat, smoke, charcoal, and ash
treatments. We measured growth of germinated seedlings that were transplanted and
allowed to grow for 65 days in a greenhouse. Seedlings from seeds >8 years old did not
reach an appropriate radicle length for transplantation. Seedling growth decreased with
increasing temperature of the heat treatment. As seed age increased, growth decreased
with smoke and charcoal, and increased with ash treatment. Height was negatively
correlated with seed age. Our results suggest that fire and seed age could affect demographic
responses of R. acetosella seedling populations. Post-fire recruitment could be
partially favored by the positive effect of nutrient input from ash on seedling growth.
High fire intensities, however, would be detrimental to seedling vigor.