Abstract
Canopy gap and chilling requirements for seed germination were assessed in 61 and 44 species, respectively, in the temperate rain forest of southern Chile. Germination assays within canopy gap and understorey were carried out under natural conditions. Germination tests in cold stratified and non-stratified seeds were performed under laboratory conditions. Seeds were collected of common trees, shrubs, vines and perennial herbs of forests in southern Chile. Final percent germination was significantly enhanced under canopy gap conditions in 19 species, and significantly reduced in 11 species. Germination proved indifferent under gap vs. understorey conditions in half the species tested. Cold stratification affected germination in 11 species: significantly increasing final germination of four species, and significantly decreasing final percent germination of seven species. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was applied with the purpose of identifying groups of species with similar germination strategies. Four attributes were included in the PCA: final germination percentage in canopy gap, germination rate in the laboratory, and gap-and chilling-dependency indices (EGAP and STRAT, respectively). The first axis separated species mainly on EGAP variation while the second axis separated them mainly according to STRAT variation; the two axes together explaining 73% of the among-species variation. A small group of trees and vines germinating best in the understorey and neutral to chilling could clearly be distinguished from the remaining species analyzed. Multifactorial ANOVAs were used for evaluating the combined effect of successional status, seed mass, dispersal period, life form, phylogenetic categories, and dispersal syndrome on EGAP and STRAT variation. The EGAP value of secondary successional species proved significantly greater than that of primary successional species and species with endozoochorous seed dispersal were significantly less dependent on chilling (according to STRAT values) compared to species with mainly wind-dispersed seeds. The possible implications of these results for seedling establishment are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alaback P.B. 1991. Comparison of temperate rainforest of the Americas. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 64: 399–412.
Anderson L.J. and Winterton A.J. 1996. Germination as a determinant of seedling distributions among natural substrate in Picea engelmannii (Pinaceae) and Abies lasiocarpa (Pinaceae). American Journal of Botany 83: 112–117.
Angevine M.V. and Chabot B.F. 1979. Seed germination syndromes in higher plants. In: Solbrig O.T., Jain S., Johnson G. and Raven P. (eds), Topics in Plant Population Biology. Columbia University Press, New York, pp. 188–206.
Armesto J.J. and Figueroa J. 1987. Stand structure and dynamics in the rain forest of Chiloé Archipielago. Journal of Biogeography 14: 367–376.
Armesto J.J. and Fuentes E. 1988. Tree species regeneration in a mid-elevation rain forest in Isla de Chiloé, Chile. Vegetatio 74: 151–159.
Armesto J.J. and Rozzi R. 1989. Seed dispersal syndromes in the rain forest of Chiloé: evidence for the importance of biotic dispersal in a temperate rain forest. Journal of Biogeography 16: 219–226.
Arroyo T.K.M., Riveros M., Peñaloza A., Cavieres L. and Faggi A.M. 1996. Phytogeographic relationships and regional richness patterns of the cool temperate rainforest flora of southern South America. In: Lawford R.G., Alaback P. and Fuentes E.R. (eds), High Latitude Rainforest and Associated Ecosystems of the West Coast of the America: Climate Hydrology, Ecology and Conservation. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 134–172.
Baskin C.C., Baskin J.M. and Leck M.A. 1993. Afterripening pattern during cold stratification of achenes of ten perennial Asteraceae from eastern North America, and evolutionary implications. Plant Species Biology 8: 61–65.
Baskin C.C. and Baskin J.M. 1988. Germination ecophysiology of herbaceous plant species in a temperate region. American Journal of Botany 75: 286–305.
Baskin C.C. and Baskin J.M. 1998. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination. Academic Press, San Diego.
Bradbeer J.W. 1988. Seed Dormancy and Germination. Chapman & Hall, New York. Bukley R.C. 1982. Seed size and seedling establishment in tropical and dunecrest plants. Biotropica 14: 314–315.
Clark D.A. 1986. Regeneration of canopy trees in tropical wet forests. Tree 6: 150–154.
Cook R. 1980. Demography and evolution in plant populations. In: Solbrig O.T. (ed.), Botanical Monographs. University of California Press, Oxford.
Denslow J.S. 1987. Tropical rainforest gaps and tree species diversity. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18: 431–451.
di Castri F. and Hajek E.R. 1976. Bioclimatología de Chile. Vicerrectoría Académica, Universidad Católica de Chile. Díaz I., Papic C. and Armesto J.J. 1999. An assessment of postdispersal seed predation in temperate rain forest fragments in Chiloé Island, Chile. Oikos 87: 228–238.
Fenner M. 1980. Germination tests on thirty-two East African species. Weed Research 20: 135–138.
Fenner M. 1987. Seed characteristics in relation to succession. In: Gray A.J., Crawley M.J. and Edwards P.J. (eds), Colonisation, Succession and Stability. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 103–115.
Figueroa J., Armesto J.J. and Hernández J.F. 1996. Estrategias de germinación y latencia de semillas en especies del bosque templado de Chiloé, Chile. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 69: 243–251.
Figueroa J.A. and Armesto J.J. 2001. Community-wide germination strategies in a temperate rainforest of Southern Chile: ecological and evolutionary correlates. Australian Journal of Botany 49: 411–425.
Figueroa J.A. and Hernández J.F. 2001. Seed germination responses in a temperate rain forest of Chiloé, Chile: effects of a gap and the tree canopy. Ecología Austral 11: 39–47.
Figueroa J.A. and Lusk C.H. 2001. Germination requirements and seedling shade tolerance are not correlated in a Chilean temperate rain forest. New Phytologist 152: 483–490.
Figueroa J.A. and Castro S.A. 2002. Effect of bird ingestion on seed germination of four woody species of the temperate rainforest of the Chiloé island, Chile. Plant Ecology 160: 17–23.
Foster S.A. 1986. On the adaptive value of large seeds for tropical moist forest trees: a review and synthesis. Botanical Review 52: 260–299.
Gajardo R. 1994. La Vegetación Natural de Chile. Editorial Universitaria, Chile.
Goldberg D.E. 1987. Seedling colonisation of experimental gaps in two old-field communities. Bulletin of Torrey Botanical Club 114: 139–148.
Grime J.P., Mason G., Curtis A.V., Rodman J., Band S.R., Mowforth M. et al. 1981. A comparative study of germination characteristics in a local flora. Journal of Ecology 69: 1017–1059.
Kyereh B., Swaine M.D. and Thompson J. 1999. Effect of light on the germination of forest trees in Ghana. Journal of Ecology 87: 772–783.
Marticorena C. and Quezada M. 1985. Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Chile. Gayana Botánica (Concepción. Chile) 42: 1–57.
Mazer S.J. 1989. Ecological, taxonomic, and life history correlates of seed mass among Indiana Dune angiosperms. Ecology Monographs 59: 153–175.
Mazer S.J. 1990. Seed mass of Indiana Dune genera and families: taxonomic and ecological correlates. Evolutionary Ecology 4: 326–357.
Offord C.A. and Meagher P.F. 2001. Effects of temperature, light and stratification on seed germination of Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 49: 699–704.
Olff H., Pegtel D.M., Van Groenendael J.M. and Bakker J.P. 1994. Germination strategies during grassland succession. Journal of Ecology 82: 69–77.
Raich J.W. and Gong G.W. 1990. Effects of canopy openings on tree seed germination in a Malaysian dipterocarp forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology 22: 146–154.
Schütz W. and Rave G. 1999. The effect of cold stratification and light on the seed germination of temperate sedges (Carex) from various habitats and implications for regenerative strategies. Plant Ecology 144: 215–230.
Shipley B. and Parent M. 1991. Germination responses of 64 wetland species in relation to seed size, minimum time to reproduction and seedling relative growth rate. Functional Ecology 5: 111–118.
Silvertown J.W. 1981. Seed size, life span, and germination date as coadapted features of plant life history. American Naturalist 118: 860–864.
Smith-Ramírez C. and Armesto J.J. 1994. Flowering and fruiting patterns in the temperate rainforest of Chiloé, Chile: ecologies and climatic constraints. Journal of Ecology 82: 353–365.
Smith-Ramírez C., Armesto J.J. and Figueroa J. 1998. Flowering, fruiting and seed germination in Chilean rain forest myrtaceae: ecological and phylogenetic constraints. Plant Ecology 136: 119–131.
Soltis P.S. et al. 1999. Angiosperm phylogeny inferred from multiple genes as a tool for comparative biology. Nature 402: 402–404.
Swaine M.D. and Whitmore T.C. 1988. On the definition of ecological species groups in tropical rain forests. Vegetatio 75: 81–86.
Thompson K. 1987. Seeds and seed banks. New Phytologist 106: 23–34.
Thompson K., Hodgson J.G., Grime J.P. and Burke M.J.W. 2001. Plant traits and temporal scale: Evidence from a 5-year invasion experiment using native species. Journal of Ecology 89: 1054–1060.
Thompson R.F. and Grime J.P. 1979. Seasonal variation in the seed bank of herbaceous species in ten contrasting habitats. Journal of Ecology 67: 893–921.
van der Valk A.G. 1974. Environmental factors controlling the distribution of forbs on coastal foredunes in Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Canadian Journal of Botany 52: 1057–1073.
Vázquez-Yanes C. and Orozco-Segovia A. 1993. Patterns of seed longevity and germination in the tropical rainforest. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 25: 69–87.
Veblen T., Schlegel F.M. and Oltremari J.V. 1983. Temperate broad-leaved evergreen forest of South America. In: Ovington J.D. (ed.), Ecosystems of the World. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 5–31.
Venable D.L. and Lawlor L. 1980. Delayed germination and dispersal in desert annuals: escape in space and time. Oecologia 46: 272–282.
Villagrán C., Armesto J.J. and Leiva R. 1986. Recolonización postglacial de Chiloé insular: evidencias basadas en la distribución geográfica y los modos de dispersión de la flora. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 59: 19–39.
Wardlaw I.F., Moncur M.W. and Totterdell C.J. 1989. The growth and development of Caltha introloba F.Muell. II. The regulation of germination, growth and photosynthesis by temperature. Australian Journal of Botany 37: 291–303.
Washitani I. and Takenaka A. 1987. Gap-detecting mechanism in the seed germination of Mallotus japonicus (Thunb.) Muell. Arg., a common pioneer tree of secondary succession in temperate Japan. Ecology Research 2: 191–201.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Figueroa, J.A. Seed germination in temperate rain forest species of southern Chile: chilling and gap-dependency germination. Plant Ecology 166, 227–240 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023286521721
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023286521721