Fire and summer temperatures interact to shape seed dormancy thresholds.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

In Mediterranean ecosystems, the heat shock of wildfire disrupts physical seed dormancy in many plant species. This triggers germination in the post-fire environment where seedling establishment is optimal due to decreased competition and increased resource availability. However, to maintain the soil seed bank until a fire occurs, the minimum heat capable of breaking seed dormancy (i.e. the lower heat threshold) must be above the maximum temperatures typically observed in the soil during the summer. We therefore hypothesized that summer temperatures have shaped heat requirements for physical dormancy release. Specifically, we predicted that seeds from populations growing under warmer summers will have higher values of the lower heat threshold.

Methods

To

SUBMITTER: Zomer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9292603 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature