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Direct seeding of Oreomunnea mexicana, a threatened tree species from Southeastern Mexico

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Abstract

Compared to enrichment planting techniques, direct seeding may represent a viable low-cost method to ensure the conservation and recovery of forest ecosystems. However, it is necessary to identify the environmental factors that affect seed germination and seedling establishment in order to improve the success of this technique. It has been suggested that the establishment of Oreomunnea mexicana (Juglandaceae), a threatened tropical montane cloud forest tree species, is associated with microsites of high soil moisture. We assessed seedling emergence in O. mexicana through direct seeding in a secondary forest and characterized the microenvironmental conditions of the sowing microsite. We also assessed the effect of seed hydration on seedling emergence and evaluated the effect of soil moisture content and seed hydration in O. mexicana seed germination and seedling emergence under laboratory conditions. Seedling emergence was lower in the field than in the laboratory (37 vs. 42 %, respectively). At microsite level, seedling emergence correlated positively with soil moisture content but negatively with vegetation cover. After 11 months, 52 % of the emerged seedlings still survived. Under laboratory conditions, seedling emergence did not differ significantly between hydrated and non-hydrated seeds (43.2 ± 0.52 vs. 40.3 ± 0.51 %, respectively), but did between high and low soil moisture contents (80 ± 0.18 vs. 3.5 ± 0.085 %, respectively). With appropriate soil moisture and vegetation cover conditions, O. mexicana seed introduction into secondary forest is a reliable technique. However, the method could be improved by protecting the seedlings from physical damage.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Instituto de Ecología A.C., Jardín Botánico Francisco Javier Clavijero, PRONATURA A.C. and Senderos y Encuentros para un Desarrollo Autónomo Sustentable (SENDAS) A.C., and especially Carlos G. Iglesias Delfín, Víctor M. Vásquez Reyes, Israel Gómez Sánchez and Magdaleno Mendoza Hernández for their help with the fieldwork. Rosario Landgrave Ramírez and Jafet Belmont contributed with statistical advice. The Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) provided a Masters scholarship grant (no. 294658) to Atondo-Bueno and funding (Project CB 2014/01 Ref. 238831).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (INECOL), Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Edel Joshua Atondo-Bueno, Fabiola López-Barrera & Guadalupe Williams-Linera

  2. Red de Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (INECOL), Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Martha Bonilla-Moheno

  3. Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n, 29290, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

    Neptalí Ramírez-Marcial

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  1. Edel Joshua Atondo-Bueno
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  2. Fabiola López-Barrera
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  3. Martha Bonilla-Moheno
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  4. Guadalupe Williams-Linera
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Correspondence to Fabiola López-Barrera.

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Atondo-Bueno, E.J., López-Barrera, F., Bonilla-Moheno, M. et al. Direct seeding of Oreomunnea mexicana, a threatened tree species from Southeastern Mexico. New Forests 47, 845–860 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-016-9548-2

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