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Seed characteristics and soil surface patch type interact to affect germination of semi-arid woodland species

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Abstract

Biological soil crusts are common in many arid and semi-arid regions and they can alter microenvironments which are likely to directly and indirectly influence vascular plant establishment. The effect of biological soil crusts on germination is also influenced by the biological characteristics of the seeds themselves but rarely have the effects of both crust type and seed morphology on germination been examined in the same study. In this study, seed of five semi-arid woodland species with contrasting seed morphology were sown on top of patch types that commonly occur in natural woodlands (foliose lichen, short-turf moss, tree leaf litter, disturbed crust) and their emergence was followed. Percent germination varied between patch types and, for the largest-seeded species (Maireana excavata), final germination was significantly lower on the biological soil crust and litter patch types because they strongly acted as a physical barrier to seed penetration into the soil. The remaining four species showed no significant differences in final percent germination with patch type because most seeds either completely or partially penetrated the surface layer. Germination time courses, however, showed that biological soil crusts delayed the timing of germination of these species. Hence, soil crusts might differentially affect the spatial patterning of species in semi-arid woodlands by their subtle influence on seedling emergence that is determined by differences in seed morphology and subsequent positioning within crusts.

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Acknowledgements

Bryan Roberts, Jane Currie, Paula Kalinowski, Katie Corbett, Ben Fallon, Brad McPhee, Jess Reifschneider and Emily Box assisted with experiment preparation and watering treatments. Pete Green, Bob Parsons, Matthew Bowker and David Eldridge improved the manuscript with helpful comments. Biological soil crust samples were collected under a research permit issued from the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

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  1. Department of Botany, La Trobe University, Bundoora, 3086, VIC, Australia

    Amber L. Briggs & John W. Morgan

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  1. Amber L. Briggs
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  2. John W. Morgan
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Correspondence to John W. Morgan.

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Briggs, A.L., Morgan, J.W. Seed characteristics and soil surface patch type interact to affect germination of semi-arid woodland species. Plant Ecol 212, 91–103 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-010-9806-x

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