Long-term persistence of Velloziaceae species in the soil seed bank in campo rupestre vegetation, Brazil

Abstract

Background: Soil seed banks play an important role in regeneration in many ecosystems and contribute to ecosystem resilience in disturbed environments. This is especially true for the Brazilian campo rupestre, a fire-prone ecosystem that harbours a large number of endangered endemic species.

Aims: We aimed to determine the persistence in the soil seed bank, through the evaluation of the in situ longevity, of seeds from four species of Velloziaceae, an endemic-rich and dominant family in the campo rupestre vegetation.

Methods: Seeds of four sympatric and common Vellozia species were collected and placed in bags, which were buried in their natural area of occurrence. The germination capacity of the buried seeds was regularly evaluated under controlled light and temperature conditions over a 5-year period.

Results: No in situ establishment was observed for any of the buried seeds. All species retained high germinability throughout the burial, except for V. glandulifera, whose germinability was reduced by 60%. The reduction in germinability of V. glandulifera was positively correlated with seed size and mass.

Conclusions: Seeds of the studied species of Vellozia are capable of persisting in soil over time while maintaining high germinability. Seed traits appear to be important for seed bank persistence.

Keywords:

• buried seeds
• in situ longevity
• Serra do Cipó
• seed germination
• seed size
• Vellozia

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr F.A.O. Silveira for reviewing the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support was conceded from Fundação O Boticário de Proteção à Natureza and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa no Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). I.S. Saraiva, L.A. Soares da Mota and E.M. Bicalho received grant awards from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Q.S. Garcia received a research productivity scholarship from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

Notes on contributors

Queila S. Garcia

Queila S. Garcia is a professor of plant physiology; she leads a research group working on seed physiology.

Izabella S. Saraiva

Isabella S. Saraiva and Letícia A. Soares da Mota were M.Sc. students when they undertook this research.

Letícia A. Soares da Mota

Isabella S. Saraiva and Letícia A. Soares da Mota were M.Sc. students when they undertook this research.

Elisa M. Bicalho

Elisa M. Bicalho is a post-doctoral researcher in plant biology; she is interested in the ecophysiology of seeds.