Seed Germination Ecophysiology of Invasive Species

A special issue of Seeds (ISSN 2674-1024).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2024) | Viewed by 7784

Special Issue Editor

Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB), University of Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi 11-13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: seed germination; salt stress and recovery; invasive species; Mediterranean coastal habitats; environmental restoration coastal habitats; plant ecology; biodiversity conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, invasive alien species (IAS) are the second biggest cause of biodiversity loss and species extinctions; their impact may also cause major economic and health problems. Consequently, the management of IAS requires urgent and immediate actions in the form of prevention, early detection, eradication, management, and control activities.

There are some differences in the habitats or regions that IAS tend to prefer, but also in their intrinsic traits, which determine their invasiveness and impact. Invasive plant species present ‘‘winning’’ ecophysiological features not found in native flora such as a good adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions, the facility to reproduce both sexually and vegetatively, and the ability to produce large amounts of seeds. The seed biology, ecology, seedbank density, and longevity are important drivers of plant competitive performance, contributing to the invasion success.

This Special Issue of Seeds aims to increase the ecological knowledge of IAS and to provide a meaningful contribution to developing management plans for these species by the study of seed germination ecophysiology.

Dr. Lina Podda
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • germination capacity
  • impact
  • management
  • plant invasions
  • prevention
  • reproductive traits
  • seedbank
  • seed ecology
  • seed production
  • threats to global biodiversity

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

17 pages, 2258 KiB  
Review
Significance of Soil Seed Bank in Forest Vegetation—A Review
by Anju M. V., Rekha R. Warrier and C. Kunhikannan
Seeds 2022, 1(3), 181-197; https://doi.org/10.3390/seeds1030016 - 18 Aug 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6980
Abstract
Seed banks present in soils provide information on past/existing standing vegetation and the probable future vegetation of the area. We reviewed 187 articles related to seed banks that were published worldwide from 1859 to 2022 to understand the dynamics of soil seed banks. [...] Read more.
Seed banks present in soils provide information on past/existing standing vegetation and the probable future vegetation of the area. We reviewed 187 articles related to seed banks that were published worldwide from 1859 to 2022 to understand the dynamics of soil seed banks. The heterogeneity and biodiversity of most ecosystems appear vulnerable due to the over-exploitation of soil over the years. The studies on seeds present in soil provide knowledge on species cover, which supports the restoration of degraded areas. An interesting feature observed in most references was that species identified in seed banks do not necessarily represent or reflect the standing vegetation—this is attributed to the varied dispersal mechanisms of different species. The most significant contributions of a seed bank are conservation and the provision of propagules to the ecosystem. These banks are critical for identifying the composition and spatial organisation of understorey plant communities in degraded forests following soil disturbances, such as wildfire, harvesting, and/or logging. Regeneration from soil seed banks enables biodiversity recovery in tropical forests. There has been little understanding of the function soil seed banks play in forest restoration, which is critical to the natural regeneration of forest reserves. The impact of invasive alien species and the associated soil seed banks on vegetation dynamics is poorly researched. With landscape restoration gaining significance in the present decade, it becomes exceedingly important to maintain existing vegetation. It is relevant to India, which has international commitments to restore 26 mha of degraded and deforested land by 2030. This review reveals the importance of soil seed banks and their role in the future maintenance of forest cover. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Germination Ecophysiology of Invasive Species)
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