BACKGROUND AND AIMS The phenotypic selection of a diverse insect assemblage was studied on a generalist plant species (Paeonia broteroi) in ten flowering seasons, with tests for whether visitor preferences for plants with larger flowers eventually translated into significant differences among plants in visitation rates, seed production, seed mass, seed germination and seedling survival. METHO...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Glacier foreland plants are highly threatened by global warming. Regeneration from seeds on deglaciated terrain will be crucial for successful migration and survival of these species, and hence a better understanding of the impacts of climate change on seedling recruitment is urgently needed to predict future plant persistence in these environments. This study presents the f...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS This study aims to determine the role that both direct effects of fire and subsequent daily temperature fluctuations play in the seed bank dynamics of obligate seeders from the Mediterranean Basin. The short yet high soil temperatures experienced due to passage of fire are conflated with the lower, but longer, temperatures experienced by daily fluctuations which occur after ...

1 We analyse the factors controlling seedling establishment of Scots pine at its southernmost geographical limit (southern Spain), by monitoring emergence, survival and growth for up to 4 years in the microhabitats to which seeds are dispersed. Naturally established seedlings were monitored in two mountain ranges, and experimental sowings were performed both in woodlands and in adjacent success...

Six parents of Jatropha curcas were crossed in half diallel fashion, and the F 1s were evaluated to determine the combining ability for nine germination parameters. The ratio between general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) variances indicated preponderance of additive gene action for all the characters except germination percentage, time of 50% germination, seedling...

10 Abstract. Research regarding seedling quality issues has been performed for decades and focused 11 primarily on conifer species, which comprise the greatest proportion of nursery production 12 worldwide. Demand for hardwood seedlings, particularly for conservation purposes, has increased 13 steadily in recent years, emphasizing the need for seedling quality assessment protocols specific to 1...

Initial seedling recruitment is one of the most critical stages for plants in the Mediterranean basin. Moreover, wildfires and post-fire environmental conditions might deteriorate regeneration success, which can lead to problems for sustainable forest restoration and forest persistence. On this context, different seed origins and pine species may be better adapted to new environmental condition...