Topic
Monocarpic
About: Monocarpic is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 194 publications have been published within this topic receiving 6411 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: The purpose of these studies was to determine if there are correlations between the dormancy breaking and germination requirements of seeds and the germination phenology, life cycle type, habitat requirements, range of geographical distribution, and phylogenetic relationships of the species.
Abstract: Germination phenology data have been collected from 75 winter annuals, 49 summer annuals, 28 monocarpic perennials, and 122 polycarpic perennials, and experimental investigations of dormancy breaking and germination requirements have been conducted on 56 winter annuals, 32 summer annuals, 18 monocarpic perennials, and 73 polycarpic perennials. The purpose of these studies was to determine if there are correlations between the dormancy breaking and germination requirements of seeds and the germination phenology, life cycle type, habitat requirements, range of geographical distribution, and phylogenetic relationships of the species. Germination phenology is highly correlated with the responses of seeds to the yearly temperature cycle. Species with winter and summer annual life cycles have predictable germination characteristics, but monocarpic and polycarpic perennials do not. Several dormancy types may be found in a given habitat, and narrowly endemic and widely-distributed species in the same genus may have similar germination characteristics. Within some families there is a tendency for a particular type of seed-temperature response to be very important, but frequently this is related to the predominance of a given life cycle type in the family. OUR FIRST STUDY of germination ecophysiology was undertaken as a project in Professor Elsie Quarterman's plant autecology class at Vanderbilt University in the spring of 1966. A literature search in connection with an investigation of the dormancy breaking and germination requirements of Aristida longespica and Sporobolus vaginiflorus (Baskin and Caudle, 1967) emphasized to us the need for studies on the germination ecology of mesic temperate herbs. Although many types of dormancy breaking requirements had been identified in seeds (Crocker, 1948; Crocker and Barton, 1957), this information had not been placed in context with germination phenology. Germination phenology had been described for a number of weed species (Bienchley and Warington, 1930; Chepil, 1946; Roberts, 1964), but not in respect to dormancy breaking and germination requirements of seeds. To determine how the timing of seed germination in herbaceous plants is controlled in nature, we combined descriptive studies of gerI Received for publication 26 January 1987, revision accepted 22 June 1987. From 1979 to 1985 part of our research was supported by grants from EPA (CR-806277-02) and USDA (82CRSR-21000) in connection with participation in the consortium for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM): Alfalfa Commodity. This support is gratefully acknowledged. This paper is dedicated to Dr. Elsie Quarterman, Professor Emeritus, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. mination phenology with experimental studies of dormancy breaking and germination requirements. Numerous winter and summer annuals and monocarpic and polycarpic perennials were investigated, and these species were from various kinds of habitats including rock outcrops, fields, roadsides, pastures, mud flats, and deciduous forests. This is an ongoing effort; thus, while investigations of some species have been completed, other studies are in progress or being planned. To determine if there are correlations between the dormancy breaking and germination requirements of seeds and the germination phenology, life cycle type, habitat requirements, range of geographical distribution, and phylogenetic relationships of the species, it has been necessary to study many species. GERMINATION PHENOLOGY -Freshly-matured seeds, collected mostly from plants in Kentucky and Tennessee, were used to study germination phenology in a nontemperaturecontrolled greenhouse-no heating or air conditioning and windows open all year in Lexington, Kentucky. Temperatures in this greenhouse were similar to those in the field (Baskin and Baskin, 1981a; 1985b). Continuous thermograph records have been kept since October 1969, when phenology studies were started. From 1969 through 1972, studies involved four replications of 200 seeds each sown on the soil
519 citations
TL;DR: The broad array of evolutionary models are examined, and what aspects of the demography are crucial for the successful prediction of the size and age at flowering are questioned, shedding light on both the important aspects of monocarp demography and current advances in life-history modelling.
Abstract: Monocarpic plants, which flower once then die, are ideal systems for testing evolutionary ideas because the cost of reproduction is easily quantified and the timing of flowering is a key determinant of darwinian fitness. Monocarps should flower at the size that maximizes fitness, enabling models of life-history evolution to be tested. These models are becoming increasingly sophisticated and accurate, making a review of the techniques and underlying theory timely. Here, we review the long-term demography of monocarpic species, focusing on how demographic rates vary with size and age. We then examine the broad array of evolutionary models, and question what aspects of the demography are crucial for the successful prediction of the size and age at flowering, shedding light on both the important aspects of monocarp demography and current advances in life-history modelling.
215 citations
TL;DR: This hypothesis proposes that irregular fruiting cycles are sufficient disequilibrium to inhibit seed predators from main-stage predators in bamboos.
Abstract: Mast flowering is the phenomenon of massive flowering and fruiting at intermittent intervals that is synchronized within a species across large areas. Most masting species are iteroparous, flowering and fruiting multiple times during their life span (Silvertown 1980). Bamboos are an exception as mast flowering is largely restricted to semelparous species that flower once and die (Janzen 1976). Additionally, whereas most mast-flowering species produce seed crops on a cycle of 3–7 yr (Silvertown 1980), bamboos have intermast intervals that are typically an order of magnitude longer. The earliest explanation for mast flowering in bamboo was that of external controls on physiological processes by available resources such as rainfall (Brandis 1899), the resource-matching hypothesis. Today, this bottom-up hypothesis largely has been replaced by top-down explanations involving pollinators and predators (Kelly 1994). It is widely accepted that the selective force driving the evolution of masting in bamboos is “predator satiation” (Janzen 1976; Gadgil and Prasad 1984; Kelly 1994). This hypothesis proposes that irregular fruiting cycles are sufficient disequilibrium to inhibit seed predators from main-
169 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that T. versicolor can utilize a wide range of light environments in the forest during seedling establishment and be able to acclimate to a sudden increase in light level by means of morphological and physiological adjustments of newly developed leaves.
Abstract: Tachigalia versicolor is a monocarpic canopy tree species on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, This 2—yr demographic and physiological study examined whether seed and seedling survival of this monocarpic species is high compared to nonmonocarpic species previously studied, as life history theory predicts. For the weighted average of two trees, the percentage of offspring estimated to survive from dispersed seed to germination, 1 yr, and 2 yr was 30, 7.2, and 4.3%, respectively. The large seeds (500—600 mg) suffered greater mortality in absolute numbers than did the seedlings. Major mortality agents of seeds were bruchid beetles (Amblycerus tachygaliae) and terrestrial vertebrates, while vertebrate herbivores and damping—off fungi killed seedlings. Seedlings survival and growth were enhanced under canopies of dying T. versicolor adults, relative to under canopies of living conspecific and nonconspecific adults. The majority of 2—yr—old seedlings occurred within 0.40 m from the parent trees, reflecting the original peak of the distribution of wind—dispersed seeds. Few seedlings persisted beyond 40 m. Seedling survival in the first 2 mo was higher in shaded understory than in light—gaps, due to higher vertebrate herbivory in sun than shade. Seedling growth and survival beyond 2 mo was higher in light—gaps than in shaded understory. T. versicolor seedlings exhibited a wide range in maximum net photosynthetic rate when grown in contrasting light conditions, and were able to acclimate to a sudden increase in light level by means of morphological and physiological adjustments of newly developed leaves. These results indicate that T. versicolor can utilize a wide range of light environments in the forest during seedling establishment. Relative to nomonocarpic wind—dispersed tree species previously studied in the same community. T. versicolor ranks near the top in its seed mass, dispersal capability, photosynthetic flexibility to contrasting light conditions, and probability of seedling survival in the shaded understory through 1 yr. These characteristics enable T. versicolor to establish large numbers of seedlings. The mean total number of offspring of two trees estimated to survive through 2 yr was 4395 out of 103 055 dispersed seeds and 30 529 germinated seeds. In comparison to nonmonocarpic species, juvenile survival of T. versicolor is high as expected for this monocarpic tree species.
155 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that although cellular and leaf senescence do share common features in monocarpic and perennial plants, the indeterminacy of meristems found in perennials begs the question of whether senescences really occurs in these organisms at the whole-plant level.
144 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2016 | 6 |