Topicalities in Forest Ecology of Seeds, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 1448

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This is series II of the Special Issue “Topicalities in Forest Ecology of Seeds”.

The gene pool of forest trees is part of the natural wealth of the environment and is important for the future of forests in terms of the adaptability and ecological stability of forest stands. Maintaining the morphological and physiological quality of forest tree seeds is the most important condition for the possibility of successful forest reproduction. Advancing climate change, forest soil degradation and inappropriate management are weakening healthy trees, causing forests to become less stable and more vulnerable. Knowledge of reproductive material and related topics can help us to better understand how forests work in relation to ongoing climate change. This Special Issue will provide an overview of the most recent advances in the field of seed ecology and its applications in diverse areas by presenting selected contributions on advances in the seeds and fruits of forest species, their morphological and physiological characterization, and many related topics.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Flowering and pollination of forest trees;
  • Seed and fruit quality;
  • Forest seed production;
  • Seed dispersal;
  • Soil seed banks;
  • Seed germination and early seedling growth;
  • Seed dormancy;
  • Seed and fruit predation by animals;
  • Perspectives in forest seed technology.

Dr. Božena Šerá
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • seed production
  • seed quality
  • seed dispersal
  • seed germination
  • early seedling growth
  • soil seed banks
  • seed dormancy
  • seed predation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2514 KiB  
Article
Light Drought Stress Positively Influenced Root Morphological and Endogenous Hormones in Pinus massoniana Seedlings Inoculated with Suillus luteus
by Yi Wang, Youzhi Ren, Guiying Tu, Xuemei Luo and Zhiyuan Zhang
Forests 2024, 15(11), 1997; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15111997 - 13 Nov 2024
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Abstract
Aims An ectomycorrhizal fungus (ECMF) may enhance plant drought resistance. However, there is limited information regarding the effects of ECMFs on drought resistance in Pinus massoniana Lamb., a native species representing an afforestation pioneer tree in subtropical regions of China. Methods In this [...] Read more.
Aims An ectomycorrhizal fungus (ECMF) may enhance plant drought resistance. However, there is limited information regarding the effects of ECMFs on drought resistance in Pinus massoniana Lamb., a native species representing an afforestation pioneer tree in subtropical regions of China. Methods In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to determine the effects of ECMF Suillus luteus inoculation on the root morphology and endogenous hormones of P. massoniana, including roots, leaves, and stems, under various water treatment conditions. Four water levels (regular, light, moderate, and severe drought) and three inoculations (inoculated Suillus luteus, numbered S12 and S13, and non-ECMF-inoculated) were compared using a factorial design. Results Under drought stress, P. massoniana seedlings inoculated with S12 and S13 had significantly increased root morphology development (p < 0.05). Light drought positively influenced root development, resulting in a more than twofold increase in root length and root surface area compared to non-inoculated seedlings. Concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA), zeatin riboside (ZR), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in roots, stems, and leaves of inoculated S12 and S13 plants were elevated, whereas abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations were significantly lower, compared to non-inoculated seedlings. The ABA concentrations in the roots of S12 and S13 inoculated seedlings under light drought stress were 1.5 times lower than those in non-inoculated controls. Moreover, root development was positively correlated with plant total GA, IAA, and ZR but negatively correlated with ABA. ConclusionsS. luteus can promote the root growth and development of P. massoniana seedlings, notably by regulating the balance in the concentration of endogenous hormones, thus improving the drought resistance of P. massoniana seedlings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topicalities in Forest Ecology of Seeds, 2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 2581 KiB  
Article
Spatial–Temporal Dynamics of a Germinable Seed Bank of a Semi-Arid Vegetation in the Brazilian Northeast
by Danielle Melo dos Santos, Kleber Andrade da Silva, Simone Rabelo da Cunha, Bruno Ayron de Souza Aguiar, Priscila Silva dos Santos, Vanessa Kelly Rodrigues de Araujo, Josiene Maria Falcão Fraga dos Santos and Elcida de Lima Araújo
Forests 2024, 15(7), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071108 - 27 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 626
Abstract
Soil seed bank contributes to the maintenance and renewal of the plant community. Species richness and density of the soil seed bank are affected by the temporal and spatial variations occurring in dry environments. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the effect of [...] Read more.
Soil seed bank contributes to the maintenance and renewal of the plant community. Species richness and density of the soil seed bank are affected by the temporal and spatial variations occurring in dry environments. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the effect of time (climatic season and annual precipitation) and space (soil depth and microhabitat type) on floristic composition, species richness, and seed density in the soil bank from a Brazilian dry forest over seven consecutive years. During the study period, 0–5 cm soil samples were collected in three types of microhabitats (Flat, Rocky, and Riverside) from the litter and soil, totaling 2940 samples. The seed bank was quantified using the seedling emergence method; each collected sample was monitored for six months. All data on species richness and seedling emergence were analyzed using the GLM and Anosim test for floristic composition. Results show that the floristic composition, species richness, and seed density differ between climatic seasons, between years of study, between soil depths, and between the three types of microhabitats found in the studied area. However, the explanatory power of each variable was low, demonstrating that other variables such as temperature, wind action, and predation may also be influencing seed storage in the soil bank. In summary, this study demonstrated that the richness, species composition, and emergence of seedlings recorded in soil seed banks are influenced by the spatiotemporal variation found in dry environments. Thus, all the tested variables partially explained the behavior observed in the seed bank. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topicalities in Forest Ecology of Seeds, 2nd Edition)
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