Pre-dispersal seed predation, soil seed banks and germination of seeds of Albizia harveyi E. Fourn. from Northern Botswana: implication for its conservation
Paper Details
Pre-dispersal seed predation, soil seed banks and germination of seeds of Albizia harveyi E. Fourn. from Northern Botswana: implication for its conservation
Abstract
Albizia harveyi is a tree species, which provides various goods and services. The species is facing challenges due to pre-dispersal predation, and information on the soil seed banks and requirements for the germination of seeds of the species is lacking. Also, knowledge on its natural regeneration ecology is poor. The objectives of this study were, therefore, to assess pre-dispersal seed predation, determine the soil seed density and distribution, and test the effects of different pre-sowing treatments on the germination of seeds of Albizia harveyi. The results showed that of all the seeds recovered from pods, 25% were eaten, indicating that a quarter of the seeds were predated before dispersal. Also, the mean proportion of filled seeds, which sunk during the floating experiment, was only 79 ± 0.84%, suggesting that the other batch (21 ± 0.84%) was composed of empty seeds. The highest (79 ± 4.4%) and lowest (32 ± 4%) germination capacities were exhibited by seeds treated with mechanical scarification and five minutes in boiling water, respectively. These results suggest a hard seed coat-imposed seed dormancy. The speed of germination was faster in seeds treated with sulphuric acid and those scarified manually. The soil seed density was 153 seeds m-2 down to 9 cm in the soil. Vertically seeds were restricted in the litter layer while horizontally they were recovered only under the canopies of the three out of the six trees. Further topics for research on the species have been proposed.
Argaw M, Teketay D, Olsson M. 1999. Soil seed flora, germination and regeneration pattern of woody species in an Acacia woodland of the Rift Valley in Ethiopia. Journal of Arid Environments 43, 411-435.
Baskin CC, Baskin JM. 1998. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination.San Diego: Academic Press.
Baskin JM, Baskin CC. 1989. Physiology of dormancy and germination in relation to seed bank ecology. In: Leek MA, Parker VT, Simpson RL, Eds. Ecology of Soil Seed Banks. San Diego: Academic Press, 53-66 p.
Bewley JD, Black M. 1994. Seeds: Physiology of Development and Germination. New York: Plenum Press.
Crawley MJ. 1992. Seed predators and plant population dynamics. In: FennerM, Ed.Seeds: The Ecology of Regeneration in Plant Communities. Wallingford: CAB International 157-191.
Daneshvar A. 2015. Improved Seed Handling Techniques for Juniperus polycarpos : Implications for Active Restoration of Degraded Juniper Forests in Iran. Doctoral Thesis, Swedish University of Agriculture, Alnarp, Sweden.
Danthu P, Roussel M, Dia M, Sarr A. 1992. Effect of different pretreatments on the germination of Acacia senegal seeds. Seed Science and Technology20, 111-117.
Ellery K, ElleryW. 1997. Plants of the Okavango Delta: A Field Guide. Durban: Tsaro Publisher.
Fenner M, Thompson K. 2005. The Ecology of Seeds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gardener CJ, McIvor JG, Jansen A.1993. Passage of legume and grass seeds through the digestive tract of cattle and their survival in faeces. Journal of Applied Ecology30, 63-74.
Garwood NC. 1989. Tropical soil seed banks: a review. In: Leek MA, Parker VT, Simpson RL, Eds. Ecology of Soil Seed Banks. San Diego: Academic Press, 149-209.
Gutterman Y. 1993. Seed Germination in Desert Plants. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Lamprey HF, Halvey G, Makacha S. 1974. Interactions between Acacia bruchid seed beetles and large herbivores. East African Journal of Wildlife12, 81-85.
Leek MA, Parker VT, Simpson RL, Eds. 1989. Ecology of Soil Seed Banks. San Diego and California: Academic Press.
Neelo J, Teketay D, Kashe K, Masamba W. 2015. Stand structure, diversity and regeneration status of woody species in open and exclosed dry woodland sites around molapo farming areas in the Okavango Delta, northeastern Botswana. Open Journal of Forestry 5, 313-328.
Neelo J, Teketay D, Masamba W, Kashe K. 2013. Diversity, Population Structure and Regeneration Status of Woody Species in Dry Woodlands Adjacent to Molapo Farms in Northern Botswana. Open Journal of Forestry3,138-151.
Proberts RJ. 1992. The role of temperature in germination ecophysiology. In: FennerM, Ed.Seeds: The Ecology of Regeneration in Plant Communities. Wallingford: CAB International, 285-325 p.
Roodt V. 1998. Trees and shrubs of the Okavango Delta. Medicinal uses and nutritional value. Gaborone: Shell Oil Botswana.
Sabiiti EN, Wein RW. 1987. Fire and Acacia seeds: A hypothesis of colonization success. Journal of Ecology74, 937-946.
Teketay D. 1996a. Germination Ecology of 12 indigenous and 8 exotic multipurpose leguminous species from Ethiopia. Forest Ecology and Management 80, 209-223.
Teketay D.1996b.The effect of different pre-sowing seed treatments, temperature and light on the germination of five Senna species from Ethiopia. New Forests11, 155-171.
Teketay D. 2005. Seed and regeneration ecology in dry Afromontane forests of Ethiopia: I. Seed production-population structures. Tropical Ecology 46, 29-44.
Teketay D, Granström A. 1995. Soil seed banks in dry Afromontane forests of Ethiopia. Journal of Vegetation Science6, 777-786.
Teketay D, Kashe K, Madome J, Kabelo M, Neelo J, MmusiM, Wellington M.2017. Enhancement of diversity, stand structure and regeneration of woody species through area exclosures: the case of a mopane woodland in northern Botswana. Ecological Processes7(5). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13717-018-0116-x.
Tybirk K. 1991. Regeneration of Woody Legumes in Sahel. AAU Report 27. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.
Umarani R, Jerlin R, Tilak M. 2015. Ecological adaptations of seeds governing forest regeneration. Ecology, Environment and Conservation 21 (Suppl.) S481-S495.
van der Valk AG, Pederson RL. 1989. Seed banks and the management and restoration of natural vegetation. In: Leek MA, Parker VT, Simpson RL, Eds. Ecology of Soil Seed Banks. San Diego: Academic Press, 329-346 p.
van Wyk B, Van Wyk P. 2009. Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Cape Town : Struik Publishers.
Wassie A, Teketay D. 2006. Soil seed banks in church forests of northern Ethiopia: implications for the conservation of woody plants. FLORA201, 32-43.
Wassie A, Bekele T, Sterck F, Teketay D, Bongers F. 2009. Post dispersal seed predation and seed viability in forest soils: implications for the regeneration of tree species in Ethiopian church forests. African Journal of Ecology48, 461-471.
Zar JH. 1996. Biostatistician Analysis (3rdEdition). New Jersey: Prentice – Hall.
Demel Teketay, Joseph Madome, Keotshepile Kashe, 2018. Pre-dispersal seed predation, soil seed banks and germination of seeds of Albizia harveyi E. Fourn. from Northern Botswana: implication for its conservation. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 12(6), 57-66.
Copyright © 2018 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.