IMBIV   05474
INSTITUTO MULTIDISCIPLINARIO DE BIOLOGIA VEGETAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Forest Fragmentation and Seed Germination of Native Species from the Chaco Serrano Forest
Autor/es:
ASHWORTH, L. ; MARTI, L.
Revista:
BIOTROPICA
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Año: 2010
ISSN:
0006-3606
Resumen:
Habitat fragmentation is a widespread phenomenon that alters pollination and plant reproductive processes. These effects have demographic and genetic implicationsthat determine offspring fitness and the long-term viability of plant populations in fragmented systems. We evaluated fragmentation effects on early plant offspringfitness traits, individual seed mass, and percentage of seed germination in five native plant species (Acacia caven, Celtis ehrenbergiana, Croton lachnostachyus, Rivinahumilis, Schinus fasciculatus) from the Chaco Serrano forest, a subtropical highly fragmented ecosystem. We found evidence of strong negative fragmentation effects ongermination in the shrub C. lachnostachyus and the perennial herb R. humilis, after 30 d of controlled tests. No fragmentation effects were found in the studied traits onthe remaining three tree species. We found significant maternal effects in offspring fitness traits in all five species. We discuss the relative magnitude of maternal vs.fragmentation effects taking into account both plant species’ lifespan and the time elapsed in fragmentation conditions. We emphasize the need to increase the study ofearly and late plant offspring fitness produced in fragmented habitats coupled with analyses of genetic parameters and the pollination process in order to evaluate theconservation value of remnant forest fragments.