Woody plant expansion into grasslands and savannas is a global concern. Rapid expansion of Juniperus virginiana, a tree native to North America, has profound ecological consequences. We used transplanted J. virginiana seedlings to investigate the role of resource availability on J. virginiana expansion following the removal of fire, the factor historically limiting range expansion of this firei...

In an even-aged pine forest trees can vary considerably in stem size. We examined the basis for this anomaly using a retrospective approach. Twelve open-pollinated families of Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. were deliberately chosen for their variation in stem volumes at age 32 years. Seedlings obtained from these families were grown to age 6 months under optimal nursery conditions. Endogenous ...

Levy, Louise S.Y.; Deal, Robert L.; Tappeiner, John C. 2010. The density and distribution of Sitka spruce and western hemlock seedling banks in partially harvested stands in southeast Alaska. Res. Pap. PNW-RP-585. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 20 p. This study’s objective was to document and describe the current seedling bank o...

Promoting the seed regeneration potential of secondary forests undergoing gap disturbances is an important approach for achieving forest restoration and sustainable management. Seedling recruitment from seed banks strongly determines the seed regeneration potential, but the process is poorly understood in the gaps of secondary forests. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the ef...

Wild Cardon cactus seeds were inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense strains Cd and Sp-245 to improve seed germination and seedling growth parameters. Differential germination responses were related to the bacterial strain. A. brasilense Cd (the type strain for the species A. brasilense) significantly decreased seed germination. A. brasilense Sp245 (a known beneficial bacteria for cereal plant...

To understand how temperate coexisting tree species respond to water deficit, the seedlings of two coexisting species, Phellodendron amurense Rupr. And Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., were transplanted into plastic flowerpots. Three water deficit treatments were used, W1 (60-90% field moisture capacity), W2 (40-60% field moisture capacity), and naturally occurring precipitation (CK), with the aim o...

Poor seed germination and early seedling growth associated with urea-induced soil ammonia volatilization are major constraints in the adoption of dry direct-seeded rice. To directly examine soil ammonia volatilization and its damage to seed germination and early seedling growth of dry direct-seeded rice when urea is applied at seeding, two Petri-dish incubation experiments and a field experimen...

KOSTEL-HUGHES, F., T. P. YOUNG, AND J. D. WEHR. (Louis Calder Center—Biological Field Station and Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, P.O. Box 887, Armonk, NY 10504). Effects of leaf litter depth on the emergence and seedling growth of deciduous forest tree species in relation to seed size. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 132: 50–61. 2005.—Leaf litter has a major impact on soil microenvi...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Artemisia halodendron is a native sub-shrub that occurs mainly in moving and semi-fixed sandy lands in Inner Mongolia, China. Information on the spatial patterns of wind-dispersed seed deposition and seedling recruitment of A. halodendron inhabiting moving sandy lands is very limited. The aim of this study was to examine wind-dispersed seed deposition patterns and post-dispe...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The optimal period for seedling emergence depends on factors such as habitat preference, life cycle and geographical distribution. This research was performed to clarify the role of temperature in regulating processes leading to seedling emergence of the European continental Scilla bifolia and the Atlantic Narcissus pseudonarcissus and Hyacinthoides non-scripta. METHODS Ex...