Introduction. Ecologically Meaningful Germination Studies. Types of Seed Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Nondeep Physiological Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Morphophysiological Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Physical Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds in the Persistent Seed Bank. Causes of Within-Species Variations in Seed Dormancy and Germination Characteristics. A Geographical Perspective on Germination Ecology: Tropical and Subtropical Zones. A Geographical Perspective on Germination Ecology: Temperate and Arctic Zones. Germination Ecology of Plants with Specialized Life Cycles and/or Habitats. Biogeographical and Evolutionary Aspects of Seed Dormancy. Subject Index.

A Definitive Book on Seed Ecology@@@Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination

There is a pressing need to conserve plant diversity to prevent extinctions and to enable sustainable use of plant material by current and future generations. Here, we review the contribution that living collections and seed banks based in botanic gardens around the world make to wild plant conservation and to tackling global challenges. We focus in particular on the work of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with its associated global Partnership. The advantages and limitations of conservation of plant diversity as both living material and seed collections are reviewed, and the need for additional research and conservation measures, such as cryopreservation, to enable the long-term conservation of ‘exceptional species’ is discussed. We highlight the importance of networks and sharing access to data and plant material. The skill sets found within botanic gardens and seed banks complement each other and enable the development of integrated conservation (linking in situ and ex situ efforts). Using a number of case studies we demonstrate how botanic gardens and seed banks support integrated conservation and research for agriculture and food security, restoration and reforestation, as well as supporting local livelihoods.

Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects-The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank.

Seed banking of rainforest species is hindered by lack of knowledge as to which species are tolerant of desiccation and freezing. We assessed 313 Australian rainforest species for seed banking suitability by comparing the germination percentage of fresh seeds to seeds dried at 15% RH and seeds stored at −20 °C after drying. We then compared desiccation responses to environmental, habit, fruit and seed characteristics to identify the most useful predictors of desiccation sensitivity. Of 162 species with ≥ 50% initial germination, 22% were sensitive to desiccation, 64% were tolerant and 10% were partially tolerant; the responses of 4% were uncertain. Of 107 desiccation tolerant species tested for response to freezing, 24% were freezing sensitive or short-lived in storage at −20 °C. Median values for fresh seed moisture content (SMC), oven dry weight (DW) and the likelihood of desiccation sensitivity (PD-S) were significantly greater for desiccation sensitive than desiccation tolerant seeds. Ninety-four to 97% of seeds with SMC < 29%, DW < 20 mg or PD-S < 0.01 were desiccation tolerant. Ordinal logistic regression of desiccation response against environmental, habit, fruit and seed characteristics indicated that the likelihood of desiccation sensitivity was significantly increased by a tree habit, fleshy fruit, increasing fresh SMC and increasing PD-S. The responses observed in this study were combined with earlier studies to develop a simple decision key to aid prediction of desiccation responses in untested rainforest species.

/pdf/assessing-the-storage-potential-of-australian-rainforest-2a36yhny8f.pdf

Assessing the storage potential of Australian rainforest seeds: a decision-making key to aid rapid conservation

https://academic.oup.com/aob/article-pdf/130/6/773/48007411/mcac130.pdf

Low availability of functional seed trait data from the tropics could negatively affect global macroecological studies, predictive models and plant conservation

Restoration seedbanks have become a key infrastructure resource in efforts to restore damaged and degraded environments across the globe. Large‐scale ecological restoration typically utilizes large volumes of valuable, usually wild‐collected seeds, but insufficient knowledge of seed biology (including storage requirements in some cases) and ecology for many species continues to hamper the utility of restoration seedbanks to meet this rising demand. Poor germination and establishment when seeds are deployed from seedbanks can stem from factors such as premature seed collection, low seed quality, poor processing, handling and storage, variable seed quality from year to year, and, critically, insufficient understanding of seed dormancy, seed germination traits, and the ecological requirements for germination stimulation. While these factors may impact the success of seed‐based ecological restoration both synergistically and idiosyncratically, they can be universally addressed by adopting best practice principles in seedbank management and operation and through an improved understanding of the seed biology and ecology of stored species. Drawing upon an industry case study in seedbanking for post‐mining ecological restoration, we outline how optimizing seed storage conditions and a focus on seed biology and ecology in the operation of a restoration seedbank can deliver broad and immediate benefit and cost‐efficiency to native seed use. Such improvements are crucial in developing more effective approaches for returning biodiverse plant communities to highly modified landscapes and are foundational for meeting the aspirations for ecological restoration at global scales in the coming decade.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/rec.13667

Restoration seedbanks for mined land restoration

We investigated ex situ conservation options for two Australian rainforest species severely affected by myrtle rust in the wild – Rhodamnia rubescens (Benth.) Miq. and Rhodomyrtus psidioides (G.Don) Benth. Both species were successfully initiated into tissue culture though the rate of contamination was high and not significantly improved by the disinfection techniques tested. Explants surviving initiation grew well on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS; pH 6.0) with 30 g L−1 sucrose, 1 µm benzyl adenine and 0.2 µm indole-3-butyric acid. Culture of R. rubescens for eight weeks on MS with 0, 5, 10 or 20 µm indole-3-butyric acid resulted in root production for some plantlets, and successful transfer to potting mix; no significant differences in root production among treatments were detected. Both species were successfully propagated by semi-hardwood cuttings with strike rates of 0–67% for R. rubescens and 0–75% for R. psidioides. For R. rubescens, pretreatment of cuttings with Zaleton® and incubation in Preforma® plugs reduced the time to root development and significantly improved the strike rate (P = 0.001). R. rubescens seed proved to be orthodox and suitable for standard seedbanking; R. psidioides seed proved to be freezing sensitive but suitable for storage at 4°C. As the two species now produce few viable seeds in the wild, however, conservation by seedbanking will first require the establishment of a seed orchard from vegetatively propagated plants. We recommend swift action to conserve species in the Pacific similarly affected by myrtle rust before their growth and reproductive capacity are seriously diminished.

/pdf/conservation-in-the-wake-of-myrtle-rust-a-case-study-on-two-1rvn6fumtf.pdf

Conservation in the wake of myrtle rust – a case study on two critically endangered Australian rainforest plants

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Assessing the storage potential of Australian rainforest seeds: a decision-making key to aid rapid conservation

Conservation in the wake of myrtle rust – a case study on two critically endangered Australian rainforest plants