Seed dormancy and germination characteristics in relation to the regeneration of Acer pycnanthum, a vulnerable tree species in Japan

Published Date
February 2015, Volume 20, Issue 1, pp 160–166

Title 
Seed dormancy and germination characteristics in relation to the regeneration of Acer pycnanthum, a vulnerable tree species in Japan

Title 

Ayako Kanazashi, 

Teruyoshi Nagamitsu, 

Wajiro Suzuki

Original Article

First Online: 

25 June 2014

DOI: 10.1007/s10310-014-0451-4

Cite this article as: 

Kanazashi, A., Nagamitsu, T. & Suzuki, W. J For Res (2015) 20: 160. doi:10.1007/s10310-014-0451-4

Abstract

Seed dormancy and germination characteristics of the vulnerable tree species Acer pycnanthum were investigated to understand its regeneration strategy. Seeds of A. pycnanthum mature 1 month after pollination and are dispersed in late spring. All dispersed seeds were in dormancy upon collection from which they were released by cold (5 °C) stratification over a period of at least 12 weeks. Germination percentages were higher under low temperature conditions (10–20 °C) and when the temperature was alternated in diurnal cycles. Light effects on germination were not observed. Seed viability was not lost even though seeds had experienced room temperature conditions (20–30 °C, 35–70 % humidity) after dispersal for 5–10 months. Seeds of A. pycnanthum can endure summer heat and survive until the following spring, allowing their seedlings to germinate promptly. In the case of light intensity-independent dormancy release, regeneration can occur under canopy conditions where shade-intolerant seedlings are at a disadvantage. To verify this conclusion, the shade tolerance of A. pycnanthum requires further investigation.

References

1. Abrams MD (1992) Fire and the development of oak forests. Bioscience 42:346–353CrossRef
2. Abrams MD (1998) The red maple paradox. Bioscience 48:355–364CrossRef
3. Alvarez-Buylla ER, Martinez-Ramos M (1990) Seed bank versus seed rain in the regeneration of a tropical pioneer tree. Oecologia 84:314–325CrossRef
4. Barnes VB, Saeki I, Kitazawa A (2004) Occurrence and landscape ecology of a rare disjunct maple species, Acer pycnanthum, and comparison with Acer rubrum. Environ Rev 12:163–196CrossRef
5. Baskin CC, Baskin JM (2001) Seeds: ecology, biogeography, and evolution of dormancy and germination. Academic, New York
6. Baskin JM, Baskin CC (2004) A classification system for seed dormancy. Seed Sci Res 14:1–16
7. Beckage B, Clark JS (2003) Seedling survival and growth of three southern Appalachian forest tree species: the role of spatial heterogeneity. Ecology 84:1849–1861CrossRef
8. Bourgoin A, Simpson JD (2004) Soaking, moist-chilling, and temperature effects on germination of Acer pensylvanicum seeds. Can J For Res 34:2181–2185CrossRef
9. Connor KF, Bonner FT (2001) The effects of desiccation on seeds of Acer saccharinum and Aesculus pavia: recalcitrance in temperate tree seeds. Trees 15:131–136CrossRef
10. De Jong PC (1994) Taxonomy and reproductive biology of maples. In: Van Geldren DM, De Jong PC, Oterdoom HJ (eds) Maples of the world. Timber, Oregon, pp 69–103
11. Dennis FGJ (1996) A physiological comparison of seed and bud dormancy. In: Lang GA (ed) Plant dormancy, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 47–58
12. Environment Agency of Japan (2000) Threatened wildlife of Japan-red data book, Vascular Plants, 2nd edn, vol 8. Japan Wildlife Research Center, Tokyo, p 660 (in Japanese)
13. Farmer RE (1997) Seed ecophysiology of temperate and boreal zone forest trees. St. Lucie, Florida. ISBN 9781574440546
14. Farmer RE, Cunningham M (1981) Seed dormancy of red maple in East Tennessee. For Sci 27:446–448
15. Farmer RE, Goelz JC (1984) Germination characteristics of red maple in Northwestern Ontario. For Sci 30:670–672
16. Freas KE, Kemp PR (1983) Some relationships between environmental reliability and seed dormancy in desert annual plants. J Ecol 71:211–217CrossRef
17. Gabriel WJ (1990) Acer saccharinum L. In: Burns RM, Honkala BH (eds) Silvics of North America: volume 2, hardwoods, agricultural handbook 654, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, p 70–77
18. Garwood NC (1989) Tropical soil seed banks: a review. In: Leck MA, Simpson RL (eds) Ecology of soil seed banks. Academic, San Diego, pp 149–209CrossRef
19. Goto T (2002) Regeneration of Acer pycnanthum in Ooneyama Moor. In: Hiroki S (ed) Ecology of satoyama. Nagoya University Press, Nagoya, pp 97–103 (in Japanese)
20. Grime JP (2001) Plant strategies, vegetation processes, and ecosystem properties, 2nd edn. Wiley, Chichester. ISBN 978-0470850404
21. Hille Ris Lambers J, Clark JS (2005) The benefits of seed banking for red maple (Acer rubrum): maximizing seedling recruitment. Can J For Res 35:806–813CrossRef
22. Hirabayashi K, Takahashi H (1969) Ecological studies on Acer pycnanthum (1) flora and vegetation in spontaneous places. B Bot Soc Nagano 2:1–16 (in Japanese)
23. Hosner JF (1960) Relative tolerance to complete inundation of fourteen bottom land tree species. For Sci 6:246–251
24. Houle G (1991) Regenerative traits of tree species in a deciduous forest of northeastern North America. Holarct Ecol 14:142–151
25. Houle G (1994) Spatiotemporal patterns in the components of regeneration of four sympatric tree species––Acer Rubrum, A. Saccharum, Betula Alleghaniensis and Fagus Grandifolia. J Ecol 82:39–53CrossRef
26. Japanese Red Maple Conservation Group (2003) Report on Japanese red maple conservation activities in Nagano Prefecture, 1991–2002. Japanese Red Maple Conservation Group, Iida, p 188 (in Japanese)
27. Loucks WL, Keen RA (1973) Submergence tolerance of selected seedling trees. J For 71:496–497
28. Mizui N (1993) Ecological studies on reproduction in deciduous broad-leaved tree species. Bulletin of the Hokkaido Forestry in deciduous broad-leaved tree species. B Hokkaido Forest Res Institute, 30: 1–67 (in Japanese with English abstract)
29. Nakagoshi N (1985) Buried viable seeds in temperate forests. In: White J (ed) The population structure of vegetation. Junk, Dordrecht, pp 551–570CrossRef
30. Nikolaeva MG (2001) An update of Nikolaeva’s seed dormancy classification system and its relevance to the ecology, physiology, biogeography and phylogenetic relationships of seed dormancy and germination, www.kew.org/isss/isss/Nikolaeva-manuscript-web.doc, modified from Ecological and physiological aspects of seed dormancy and germination (review of investigations for the last century) Botanicheskii Zhurnal 86:1–14 (in Russian)
31. Nomiya H (2010) Differentiation of seed germination traits in relation to the natural habitats of three Ulmus species in Japan. J For Res 15:123–130CrossRef
32. Ogata K (1965) A dendrological study of the Japanese Aceraceae, with special reference to the geographical distribution. Bull Tokyo Univ For 60:1–99
33. R Development Core Team (2011) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, ISBN 3-900051-07-0. http://www.R-project.org/. Accessed 8 Dec 2011
34. Saeki I (2005a) Application of aerial survey for detecting a rare maple species and endangered wetland ecosystem. For Ecol Manag 216:283–294CrossRef
35. Saeki I (2005b) Ecological occurrence of the endangered Japanese red maple, Acer pycnanthum: base line for ecosystem conservation. Landsc Ecol Eng 1:135–147CrossRef
36. Seiwa K (1997) Variable regeneration behaviour of Ulmus davidiana var. Japonica in response to disturbance regime for risk spreading. Seed Sci Res 7:195–207CrossRef
37. Seiwa K (1998) Advantages of early germination for growth and survival of seedlings of Acer mono under different over storey phenologies in deciduous broad-leaved forests. J Ecol 86:219–228CrossRef
38. Seiwa K (2009) Timing of germination of deciduous forest trees–––Which is advantageous, concentration or distribution? In: Yoshioka H, Seiwa K (eds) Seed germination––Physiology, Ecology and Molecular Mechanisms; Shuseibutsugaku Kenkyu 32, Bun-ichi Sogo Shuppan Co, Tokyo, p 153–172 (in Japanese)
39. Seiwa K, Kikuzawa K (1996) Importance of seed size for the establishment of seedlings of five deciduous broad-leaved tree species. Vegetatio 123:51–64CrossRef
40. Silvertown JW (1987) Introduction to plant population ecology, 2nd edn. Longman, London
41. Suszka B, Tomaszewska E (1971) Plant growth regulations in non-dormant seeds of silver maple (Acer succharinum L.). Arbor Korn 16:157–167
42. Suzuki W (2000) Germination traits and adaptive regeneration strategies of the three Carpinus species. J For Res 5:181–185CrossRef
43. Suzuki W, Kanazashi A (2011) Tree composition and stand structure in the habitats of a rare tree species, Acer pycnanthum, with special reference to the human impact. B FFPRI 10:73–84
44. Swaine MD, Whitmore TC (1988) On the definition of ecological species groups in tropical rain forests. Vegetatio 75:81–86CrossRef
45. Tanaka H (1995) Seed demography of three co-occurring Acer species in a Japanese temperate deciduous forest. J Veg Sci 6:887–896CrossRef
46. Thompson K (1992) The functional ecology of seed banks. In: Fenner M (ed) Seeds: the ecology of regeneration in plant communities. CABI, Wallingford, pp 231–258
47. Tift BD, Fajvan MA (1999) Red maple dynamics in Appalachian hardwood stands in West Virginia. Can J For Res 29:157–165CrossRef
48. Tremblay MF, Mauffette Y, Bergeron Y (1996) Germination responses of northern red maple (Acer rubrum) populations. For Sci 42:154–159
49. Walters RS, Yawney HW (1990) Acer rubrum L. In: Burns RM, Honkala BH (eds) Silvics of North America: volume 2, hardwoods, agricultural handbook 654, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, p 60–69
50. Washitani I, Takenaka A (1986) ‘Safe site’ for the seed germination of Rhus japonica: a characterization by responses to temperate and light. Ecol Res 1:71–82CrossRef
51. Washitani I, Takenaka A (1987) Gap-detection mechanism in the seed germination of Mallotus japonicus (Thunb.) Muell. Arg., a common pioneer tree of secondary succession in temperate Japan. Ecol Res 2:191–201CrossRef

For further details log on website :
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10310-014-0451-4