Abstract
We pointed out in the previous chapter that the biological importance of dormancy must be seen in relation to the ecology of germination—when and where a seed germinates. Interactions between the dormancy-releasing agents—light, temperature, and afterripening—and the sensitivity of germination to light, temperature, and, say, water stress, are responsible for determining if a seed will germinate in a particular situation and season. The germination and dormancy mechanisms are therefore of great adaptive importance in ensuring that seedling emergence occurs at the most advantageous time and place. In this chapter we will consider some examples to illustrate the ecological significance of these control processes.
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Useful Literature References
Section 6.2
Bewley, J. D., and Black, M., 1982, Physiology and Biochemistry of Seeds, Volume 2, Springer, Berlin, Chapter 6 (ecophysiological aspects of seeds).
Frankland, B., and Poo, W. K., 1980, in: Photoreceptors and Plant Development (J. DeGreef, ed.), Proc. Ann. Europ. Symp. Plant Photomorphogenesis, University Press, Antwerp, pp. 357–366.
Grime, J. P., 1979, Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes, Wiley, New York (seed banks, dormancy in the field, temperature effects).
Harper, J. L., 1977, Population Biology of Plants, Academic Press, London. Chapters 2-5 (seed ecology).
Taylorson, R. B., 1972, Weed Sci. 20:417–422 (light sensitivity of buried seeds).
Wesson, G., and Wareing, P. F., 1969, J. Exp. Bot. 20:414–425 (buried seeds and light).
Woolley, J. T., and Stoller, F. W., 1978, Plant Physiol. 61:597–600 (light transmittance of soil).
Section 6.3
Frankland, B., 1981, in: Plants and the Daylight Spectrum (H. Smith, ed.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 187–204 (shade and germination).
Frankland, B., and Poo, W. K., 1980, in: Photoreceptors and Plant Development (J. DeGreef, ed.), Proc. Ann. Europ. Symp. Plant Photomorphogenesis, University Press, Antwerp, pp. 357–366 (shade, light, and seed burial).
Holmes, M. G., and McCartney, H. A., 1975, in: Light and Plant Development (H. Smith, ed.), Butterworths, London, pp. 446–476 (shade light quality).
Sections 6.4 and 6.6
Baskin, J. M., and Baskin, C. C., 1977, Oecologia 30:377–382 (temperature in germination ecology).
Cruden, R. W., 1974, Ecology 55:1295–1305 (ecophysiology of Nemophila germination).
Grime, J. P., 1979, Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes, Wiley, New York.
Karssen, C. M., 1980/81, Isr. J. Bot. 29:65–73 (dormancy and seed burial).
Section 6.7
Baskin, J. M., and Baskin, C. C., 1980, Ecology 61:475–480 (temperature and secondary dormancy).
Karssen, C. M., 1980/81, Isr. J. Bot. 29:45–64 (secondary dormancy and the environment).
Roberts, A., and Lockett, P. M., 1978, Weed Res. 18:41–48 (seed dormancy and burial).
Section 6.8
Stearns, F., and Olson, J., 1958, Am. J. Bot. 45:53–58 (seed provenance and germination).
Thompson, P. A., 1973a, in: Seed Ecology (W. Heydecker, ed.), Butterworths, London, pp. 31–58 (geographical adaptation of seeds).
Thompson, P. A., 1973b, Ann. Bot. (London) 37:133–154 (temperature and germination character).
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© 1985 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Bewley, J.D., Black, M. (1985). Some Ecophysiological Aspects of Germination. In: Seeds. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1747-4_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1747-4_6
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