The paradox of berry production in temperate species of Vaccinium
Vegetative cover, fruiting phenology, and seed production was estimated from six Vaccinia heathlands on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland so that the efficacy of the Vaccinium seed bank could be ascertained. Out of the six species of Vaccinium present in this vegetation, only V. angustifolium and...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Botany |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1994
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b94-007 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b94-007 |
| Summary: | Vegetative cover, fruiting phenology, and seed production was estimated from six Vaccinia heathlands on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland so that the efficacy of the Vaccinium seed bank could be ascertained. Out of the six species of Vaccinium present in this vegetation, only V. angustifolium and V. boreale were recovered from 120 soil cores taken; V. uliginosum and V. vitis-idaea, two of the most common species on these heaths, were not represented in the seed bank at all, yet experimentally buried seeds from both these taxa will successfully germinate when exhumed after 6 years of burial. Indeed, 81% of the germinants were from taxa with dry fruits such as Kalmia, Luzula, Juncus, and Agrostis. Paucity of Vaccinium seed in the soil column may be due in part to fungal rot and avian predation. Key words: Vaccinium, seed production, seed banks, heaths. |
|---|