Native forest in Mauritius has been reduced to patchy degraded fragments and the extinction risk of constituent rare endemic plants is compounded by poor seed germination (Page & D’Argent, 1997; Safford, 1997; Nyhagen et al., 2005). Endemic fruiting plants evolved alongside a number of ecologically important large frugivores that are now extinct, such as the dodo (Raphus cucullatus L.) and two ...

Ecophysiological aspects of seed germination were investigated in four Mediterranean geophytes of the genus Muscari (Liliaceae): M. comosum (tassel hyacinth), M. neglectum (common grape hyacinth), M. commutatum and M. weissii. Experiments were performed at constant temperatures in the dark and under temperature and light conditions simulating those prevailing in nature during November–January, ...

Seed dormancy is an innate seed property that defines the environmental conditions in which the seed is able to germinate. It is determined by genetics with a substantial environmental influence which is mediated, at least in part, by the plant hormones abscisic acid and gibberellins. Not only is the dormancy status influenced by the seed maturation environment, it is also continuously changing...

He received his B.Sc. degree in Biology (1990) from Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Canada, also M.Sc. in Botany (1993) from Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Canada and Ph.D. in Plant Ecology (1996) from Department of Animal & Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, England.Dr. Fraser's expertise is in grassland and wetland ecosystems, with a focus o...

The most vulnerable stage in the life of plants is the seedling. The transition from wild to agricultural land that plants experienced during and after domestication implied a noticeable change in the seedlings' environment. Building on current knowledge of seedling ecology, and on previous studies of cassava, we hypothesise that cultivation should have promoted epigeal germination of seedlings...