Seed bank and seedling recruitment of endangered Tephroseris longifolia subsp. moravica (Asteraceae)

• Monika Janišová ^[1] ; Iveta Škodová ^[1] ; Katarína Hegedüšová ^[1] ; Judita Kochjarová ^{[1] [2]}
  1. [1] Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
  2. [2] Faculty of Forestry, Department of Phytology, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia
• Localización: Folia geobotánica: A journal of plant ecology and systematics, ISSN-e 1874-9348, ISSN 1211-9520, Vol. 51, Nº 4, 2016, págs. 343-360
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Knowledge of seed-bank dynamics and seedling recruitment is crucial for effective in situ conservation of endangered species. Herein, we studied Tephroseris longifolia subsp. moravica in five of nine existing population sites to determine its spatio-temporal regeneration patterns. Our main aims were: (i) to confirm the existence of a soil seed bank and to determine its type and density, (ii) to assess the rate of natural seedling recruitment and the factors affecting seed germination and seedling survival, and (iii) to assess the potential of artificial disturbance regimes to enhance natural seedling recruitment. We used a series of experiments based on long-term seed burial, seedling emergence, germination and seedling establishment in permanent plots and artificial disturbance regimes. We found that this taxon forms a short-lived persistent seed bank and its seed germinability decreases over time. The average germination in situ was 3.8 %. While the moss and herb layer cover supported seedling survival, tree-litter cover negatively affected in situ germination. Turf removal had the strongest positive effect on germination percentage in our three tested in situ treatments, followed by litter removal and no management procedures. Seedling mortality was very high (60–100 % of seedlings died), with no difference determined between the treatments. Our results suggest that seedling recruitment from seed banks and artificial disturbance regimes might be an extremely beneficial conservation protocol to enhance small populations of this critically endangered taxon.