In grasses, variation in seed size and dormancy often results from a seed's position within a dispersal unit. In this paper, I asked whether seed positional effect within a spikelet contributes to ecotypic differentiation between two populations of Avena sterilis having different species range position and associated aridity. I created experimental seed banks in which germination of seeds (flor...

The fire-prone shrublands of southwestern Australia are renowned for their high plant species diversity and prominence of canopy seed storage (serotiny). We compared species richness, abundance, and life history attributes for soil and canopy seed banks in relation to extant vegetation among four sites with different substrate conditions and high species turnover (50-80%) to identify whether th...

INTRODUCTION The water-level fluctuation in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region has changed dramatically as a result of the hydroelectric project for flood control and power generation. The riparian seasonal hydrological environment also has changed from summer flooding with winter drought to summer drought with winter flooding. The changes of riparian seed bank and vegetation were investigated t...

Arable land weed seed banks are dynamic and reflect cropping history, current management, and environment. Changes in crop rotation and tillage system can alter weed seed density and species composition. In the semi-arid region of the Pacific Northwest, USA, no-till spring cropping is being studied as an alternative to the traditional winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/dust-mulch fallow (WWF) ...

The regeneration of plant communities from seed depends, to a large extent, on the capacity of the seed remaining viable in the soil. The viability and germination of artificially buried Psychotria vellosiana seeds in cerrado soil were studied, with the purpose of discovering some physio-ecological aspects of dispersed seeds and evaluating their potential to constitute a soil seed bank. Seed sa...

Soil applications with poultry refuse, cocodust, vermicompost, ash, sawdust, khudepana, cowdung, solarized sand, Trichoderma harzianum and or with seed treatment by T. harzianum were evaluated against damping off disease complex of potato and chilli. All the treatments significantly reduced percent damping off over control. T. harzianum treated seed along with soil treatment with T. harzianum p...

—Pocket gophers have the potential to alter the dynamics of grasslands by creating mounds that bury existing vegetation and locally reset succession. Gopher mounds may provide safe sites for less competitive species, potentially increasing both species diversity and vegetation heterogeneity (spatial variation in species composition). We compared species composition, diversity and heterogeneity ...