Soil Seed Bank of the Alpine Endemic Carnation, Dianthus pavonius Tausch (Piedmont, Italy), a Useful Model for the Study of Host-Pathogen Dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Soil seedbanks are particularly important for the resiliency of species living in habitats threatened by climate change, such as alpine meadows. We investigated the germination rate and seedbank potential for the endemic species Dianthus pavonius, a carnation native to the Maritime Alps that is used as model system for disease in natural populations due to its frequent infections by a sterilizing anther-smut pathogen. We aimed to ascertain whether this species can create a persistent reserve of viable seeds in the soil which could impact coevolutionary dynamics. Over three years, we collected data from seeds sown in natural soil and analyzed their germination and viability. We found that D. pavonius seeds are not physiologically dormant and they are able to create a persisten

SUBMITTER: Carasso V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11397626 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature