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Seed Responses to Climate Change and Environmental Extremes

Application of plant-derived smoke to the seeds of Cape plants by SANBI collaborator

This project is one of a series in the theme 'Climate and Reproductive Biology'.

Climate is a major determinant for the phenology, physiology, distribution and interaction of plants, with species exhibiting specific adaptations that reflect their micro-climatic requirements. Consequently, human induced climate change / warming poses a serious threat to plant species biodiversity by potentially divorcing species from their climatic / ecological optima.

Whilst predictions indicate that global temperatures will rise over the coming decades, there is also a likelihood of an increasing incidence of extreme climatic events e.g. drought and associated phenomena such as fire. Consequently plant species face the prospect of having to adapt to changing temperatures and to changing frequencies of disturbance brought about through extreme events.

Germination and seedling establishment are critical, high-risk phases in the life-cycle of plants with plants exhibiting adaptations to germination and establishment in specific micro-climates – consequently an enhanced understanding of the regeneration niche requirements of species in relation to local climate may better inform our understanding of how species will respond to rising temperatures. Secondly there is also a need to understand how species will respond to extreme events, in particular fire.

Consequently, to address the first issue we are undertaking clinal studies of variation in reproductive traits including seed germination and dormancy. For example we have investigated germination behaviour in Veronica species collected from across Norway along environmental gradients that independently differ with respect to winter and summer temperatures. To address the second issue we are investigating how seed germination and dormancy in species from both a range of plant functional groups and environments of differing fire regimes are affected by fire related cues (both smoke and heat). For example we are currently investigating the tolerance of seeds from a variety of Aizoaceae species from environments of differing fire regimes to high temperatures (>100°C).

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