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opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Resilience of seed production to a severe El Niño‐induced drought across functional groups and dispersal types

More frequent and severe El Niño Southern Oscillations (ENSO) are causing episodic periods of decreased rainfall. Although the effects of these ENSO-induced droughts on tree growth and mortality have been well studied, the impacts on other demographic rates such as reproduction are less well known. We use a four-year seed rain dataset encompassing the most severe ENSO-induced drought in more than 30 years to assess the resilience (i.e. resistance and recovery) of the seed composition and abundance of three forest types in a tropical dry forest. We found that forest types showed distinct differences in the timing, duration and intensity of drought during the ENSO event, which likely mediated seed composition shifts and resilience. Drought-deciduous species were particularly sensitive to the drought with overall poor resilience of seed production, whereby seed abundance of this functional group failed to recover to pre-drought levels even two years after the drought. Liana and wind-dispersed species were able to maintain seed production both during and after drought suggesting that ENSO events promote early successional species or species with a colonization strategy. Combined, these results suggest that ENSO-induced drought mediates the establishment of functional groups and dispersal types suited for early successional conditions with more open canopies and reduced competition among plants. The effects of the ENSO-induced drought on seed composition and abundance were still evident two years after the event suggesting the recovery of seed production requires multiple years that may lead to shifts in forest composition and structure in the long-term, with potential consequences for higher trophic levels like frugivores.

opencc-zeroNov 2023View details →

Data from: pollinators limit seed production in an early blooming rare plant: evidence of a mismatch between plant phenology and pollinator emergence

The reproductive ecology of rare plants is seldom studied, yet the persistence of plant populations depends on successful mutualisms with pollinators. As atmospheric temperatures rise, phenology of plants and pollinators may become mismatched. We investigated the reproduction of Trifolium barnebyi (Barneby's Clover), a mat-forming perennial endemic to central Wyoming, USA that grows in the crevices of sandstone bedrock. Our objectives were to evaluate a method for monitoring changes in cover as well as assess the pollination and seed-set of T. barnebyi. We established five monitoring transects using a divided frame to estimate percent cover. We conducted seed-set experiments at three locations to measure self-pollination and the degree to which pollinating insects limited seed production. We used vane traps and bee bowls to capture pollinators, and examined pollen carried on bees. Percent cover along transects declined over the 4 year period and was associated with spring precipitation. Trifolium barnebyi did not self-pollinate and relied on pollinators to produce seeds. The number and mass of viable seeds per flower, and the number of bees captured increased as the season progressed, indicating that more and larger seeds were made when more pollinators were present. Blooming of T. barnebyi ranged between April and June depending on the microhabitat the plant lived in and we observed much higher seed production in later-blooming plants. Pollen from T. barnebyi was primarily carried by Andrena bees, although we found smaller amounts of pollen on seven other bee genera. A mismatch in timing between blooming and pollinating insect emergence could limit seed production in T. barnebyi if plants bloom earlier over time and bee emergence does not follow the same phenology. Rare plants can be pollinated by rare pollinators showing that conserving these pollinators is crucial for rare plants and early blooming species may be higher at risk.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Flowering, seed production, predation and recruitment of Posidonia australis

The drivers and bottlenecks of sexual reproduction in seagrasses are a crucial element in their conservation and restoration, determining resilience over ecological and evolutionary timescales. We collected flowering, seed production, and seedling establishment data for the seagrass Posidonia australis annually between 2013-2018 in meadows at six locations around Rottnest Island, Western Australia. We present data on inflorescence and vegetative shoot density, reproductive effort, flower and seed density, seed to ovule ratio, seed predation, and seedling survival. We found variable annual rates of flowering and seed production among meadows and between years. Some meadows, however, flowered more intensely and produced more seeds across the years of the survey. Inter-site and inter-annual variation in seed production, the stochastic nature of weather during seed release, and the large, but variable, impact of seed predation are likely the principle drivers of successful recruitment into established meadows and in colonising unvegetated sands. We propose that for the long-lived and persistent P. australis, variable annual reproductive investment increases the probability of low levels of continuous recruitment from seed in this seagrass, despite high rates of abiotic and biotic disturbance at seedling, shoot and patch scales.

opencc-zeroMay 2024View details →

Data from: Mast seeding in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is associated with reduced fungal sporocarp production and community diversity

A time series of seed production data from European beech (Fagus sylvatica) was combined with a fungal census (1977 to 2006) from La Chanéaz Fungus Reserve to evaluate the relationship between mast seeding and fungal resource availability. Annual fungal species' counts, traits, contemporaneous weather and seed production data are available here, alongside the code used to complete the analyses.

Fig 8 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 8: Feeding of larvae

Fig 7 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 7: Hormonal breeding

Fig 6 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 6: Broodstock tank

Fig 4 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 4: Rearing tank before breeding

Fig 5 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 5: Artemia hatching jar

Fig 3 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 3: Brooder collection from grow out pond

Fig 1 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 1: Pabda Fish

Fig 11 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 11: Liming

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2018View details →

Un uso diferente de los productos del bosque tropical: la talla y pintura de semillas de palma por parte de los emberá panameños - A different use of tropical forest products: Carving and painting of palm seeds by the Panamanian Emberá

Resumen Los emberá son una etnia panameña cuya producción incluye semillas talladas de palma tagua (Phytelephas seemannii). No se ha publicado ninguna descripción detallada de estas tallas, por lo que aquí las describo con base en 826 tallas a la venta en internet. La mayoría son de tipo realista y representan ranas, seguidas numéricamente de colibríes, jaguares, "geckos" y pericos. Los invertebrados, las flores y los humanos son escasos. Normalmente cada semilla representa un solo individuo y muy pocas muestran algún comportamiento propio de la especie. Los colores dominantes son café y amarillo; seguidos de verde y el color natural de la semilla. Los precios van desde $25 a $45 pero las esculturas complejas pueden superar los $100. Por su representación realista de animales individuales en las semillas, los emberá panameños han desarrollado un aporte cultural que difiere de las tallas grandes y estilizadas que se hacen en otros lugares del mundo, con potencial para uso sostenible del bosque lluvioso. Abstract The Emberá are a Panamanian ethnic group whose products include carved and painted Tagua palm seeds (Phytelephas seemannii). There are no detailed descriptions of these carved seeds, so here I describe the carvings, based on 826 carved seeds offered for sale on-line. Most are realistic and represent frogs, followed by hummingbirds, jaguars, geckos and parakeets. Invertebrates, flowers and humans are rare. Usually each seed represents a single individual; few represent the animal’s behavior. The dominant colors are brown and yellow, followed by green and the natural color of the seed. Prices range from $ 25 to $ 45 but complex sculptures can exceed $ 100. With their realistic representation of individual animals in the seeds, Panamanian emberá have developed a cultural product that differs from large and stylized Tagua sculptures made elsewhere and that has potential for a sustainable use of the rainforest.

Fig 10 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 10: Tubifex (live feed)

Fig 12 in Culture and breeding of Ompok bimaculatus, Pabda (Indian Butter catfish), seed production in North-East, India

Fig 12: Feeding to broodstock

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2021View details →

Data - Sow what you sell: strategies for integrating organic breeding and seed production into value chain partnerships

Online survey targeting organic farmers on organic seed use; 25 questions in the survey. The survey was conducted between November 2018 and June 2019 and distributed through the networks of partners involved in the Horizon2020 project LIVESEED, including 23 breeding & research institutes, seven breeding companies, eight seed companies, and 11 organic associations. 752 complete entries by farmers from 20 countries from Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe could be used from the 1,475 total accesses to the survey.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

Data from: Can the soil seed bank of Rumex obtusifolius in productive grasslands be explained by management and soil properties?

Rumex obtusifolius is a problematic weed in temperate grasslands worldwide as it decreases yield and nutritional value of forage. Because the species can recruit from the seed bank, we determined the effect of management and soil properties on the soil seed bank of R. obtusifolius in intensively managed, permanent grasslands in Switzerland (CH), Slovenia (SI), and United Kingdom (UK). Following a paired case-control design, soil cores were taken from the topsoil of grassland with a high density of R. obtusifolius plants (cases) and from nearby parcels with very low R. obtusifolius density (controls). Data on grassland management, soil nutrients, pH, soil texture, and density of R. obtusifolius plants were also collected. Seeds in the soil were germinated under optimal conditions in a glasshouse. The number of germinated seeds of R. obtusifolius in case parcels was 866 ±152 m-2 (CH, mean ±SE), 628 ±183 m-2 (SI), and 752 ±183 m-2 (UK), with no significant difference among countries. Densities in individual case parcels ranged from 0 up to approximately 3000 seeds m-2 (each country). Control parcels had significantly fewer seeds, with a mean of 51 ±18, 75 ±52, and 98 ±52 seeds m-2 in CH, SI, and UK, respectively, and a range between 0 and up to 1000 seeds m-2. Across countries, variables explaining variation in the soil seed bank of R. obtusifolius in case parcels were soil pH (negative relation), silt content (negative), land-use intensity (negative), and aboveground R. obtusifolius plant density (positive). Because a large soil seed bank can sustain grassland infestation with R. obtusifolius, management strategies to control the species should target the reduction in the density of mature plants, prevention of the species' seed production and dispersal, as well as the regulation of the soil pH to a range optimal for forage production.