Resumen de Persistence of Centaurea pumilio L., a rare sand dune species

Sabina Muminovic, Ines Kavgic, Nina Sajna

• The persistence of C. pumilio L. (Asteraceae) in time is an issue which is fundamental for conservation measures since the species is rare and often endangered. Therefore we tried to evaluate persistence as a consequence of plant longevity and its survival capacity. We estimated species’life-span by counting the number of rings present in root. Because species survival in time is guaranteed by availability of seeds in the habitat and their presence in soil seed banks, we studied the germination capacity of old seeds under light and in the dark and therefore their potential to remain viable through time.

  For better understanding of C. pumilio’s germination strategy, we additionally studied germination of two sand dune species commonly found together with C. pumilio: Cakile maritima Scop. and Medicago marina L. for comparison. According to our results the persistence of C. pumilio is guaranteed by the long-living mother plant, since we recorded specimen older than 50 years. On the other hand, species’rarity is the result of lacking mechanisms, which would prevent C. pumilio seeds to germinate at high rate under sunlight and thereby exposing seedlings to extreme conditions.