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A general method for estimating seed dormancy and colonisation in annual plants from the observation of existing flora.
- Source :
-
Ecology letters [Ecol Lett] 2018 Sep; Vol. 21 (9), pp. 1311-1318. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Jun 21. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- In plant ecology, characterising colonisation and extinction in plant metapopulations is challenging due to the non-detectable seed bank that allows plants to emerge after several years of absence. In this study, we used a Hidden Markov Model to characterise seed dormancy, colonisation and germination solely from the presence-absence of standing flora. Applying the model to data from a long-term survey of 38 annual weeds across France, we identified three homogeneous functional groups: (1) species persisting preferentially through spatial colonisation, (2) species persisting preferentially through seed dormancy and (3) a mix of both strategies. These groups are consistent with existing ecological knowledge, demonstrating that ecologically meaningful parameters can be estimated from simple presence-absence observations. These results indicate that such studies could contribute to the design of weed management strategies. They also open the possibility of testing life-history theories such as the dormancy/colonisation trade-off in natura.<br /> (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.)
- Subjects :
- France
Plant Weeds
Seeds
Germination
Plant Dormancy
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1461-0248
- Volume :
- 21
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Ecology letters
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 29927046
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13097