Summary
Germination of nine Californian serpentine annual species and one perennial grass was examined as a function of soil and litter cover and seasonal timing of rainfall. Germination responses varied with the date of moisture application, and the patterns of variation differed among species. Germination occurred in waves over time, but in most of the species, virtually all the seeds had germinated by December. These results indicate that yearly climatic variation can affect species composition and competitive relationships among species through the germination process. Soil and litter cover produced little or no effect except for the smallest-seeded species.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bartolome JW (1979) Germination and seedling establishment in California annual grassland. J Ecol 67: 273–281
Black JN Wilkinson GN (1963) The role of time of emergence in determining the growth of individual plants in swards of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.). Aust J Agric Res 14: 628–638
Grime JP (1979) Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes. pp 157–188. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, New York, Brisbane, Toronto
Grubb PJ (1976) The maintenance of species-richness in plant communities: the importance of the regeneration niche. Biol Rev 52: 107–145
Gulmon SL, Chiariello NR, Mooney HA, Chu CC (1983) Phenology and resource use in three co-occurring grassland annuals. Oecologia 58: 33–42
Heady HF (1956) Changes in a California annual plant community induced by manipulation of natural mulch. Ecology 33: 798–812
Heady HF (1977) Valley grassland. In: Barbour MG, Major J (eds) Terrestrial vegetation of California. Wiley, New York pp 491–514
Hobbs RJ (1985) Harvester ant foraging and plant species distribution in annual grassland. Oecologia 67: 519–523
Hobbs RJ, Mooney HA (1985) Community and population dynamics of serpentine grassland annuals in relation to gopher disturbance. Oecologia 67: 342–351
Hobbs RJ, Gulmon SL, Hobbs VJ, Mooney HA (1988). Effects of fertiliser addition and subsequent gopher disturbance on a serpentine annual grassland community. Oecologia 75: 291–295
Hobbs RJ, Mooney HA (1989) Effects of rainfall variability and gopher disturbance on serpentine annual grassland dynamics in N. California. Ecology
Jackson LE, Strauss RB, Firestone MK, Bartolome JW (1988) Plant and soil nitrogen dynamics in California annual grassland. Plant Soil 110: 9–17
Koide RT, Huenneke LE, Hamburg SP, Mooney HA (1988). Effects of applications of fungicide, phosphorus and nitrogen on the structure and productivity of an annual serpentine plant community. Funct Ecol 2: 335–344
McNaughton SJ (1968) Structure and function in California grasslands. Ecology 49: 962–972
Mooney HA, Hobbs RJ, Gorham J, Williams K (1986). Biomass accumulation and resource utilization in co-occurring grassland annuals. Oecologia 70: 555–558
Pickett SA, Bazzaz FA (1978) Germination of co-occurring annual species on a soil moisture gradient. Bull Torr Bot Club 105: 312–316
Ross MA, Harper JL (1972) Occupation of biological space during seedling establishment. J Ecol 60: 77–88
Young JA, Evans RA Kay BL (1971) Germination of caryopses of annual grasses in simulated litter. Agronomy J 63: 551–555
Young JA, Evans RA, Raguse CA Larson JR (1981) Germinable seeds and periodicity of germination in annual grassland. Hilgardia 49: 1–37
Young JA, Evans RA (1989) Seed production and germination dynamics in California annual grasslands. In: Hueneke, LG Mooney HA (eds.) Grassland structure and function: California Annual Grassland. Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gulmon, S.L. Patterns of seed germination in Californian serpentine grassland species. Oecologia 89, 27–31 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00319011
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00319011