This preprint is under consideration at Plant Ecology. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
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Research Article
Jesús M. Castillo
Universidad de Sevilla
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1949-4349
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Halophytes are able to survive in the high salted areas of the world, and have been recognized as sources of bioactive metabolites. There is a need to design sustainable strategies for the use of wild populations of halophytic species in order to avoid irrational gathering. Seed banks are essential for resilience and regeneration in salty ecosystems. We sampled annual seed production, aerial and soil seed banks and seed dynamics for a year in four wild populations of the annual halophyte Salicornia ramosissima growing in saltpans, in order to develop sustainable management practices for the use of its populations. The seed production of S. ramosissima depended mainly on plant density rather than on the number of seeds produced by each individual plant. In three of the four study populations, most of the annual seed production was exported out of the saltpans (> 79%) and only between 14–20% was accumulated in the initial aerial and soil seed banks. These initial seed banks were highly depleted during the year until the next fruiting period, when they accumulated less than 1% of the annual seed production (from 19 to 15302 seed m− 2). Salicornia ramosissima established a persistent soil seed bank in two of the four locations. Annual seed production would be key for the preservation of those S. ramosissima populations that do not establish persistent soil seed banks. In view of our results, each population of S. ramosissima should be studied independently to design population-specific management plans.
Keywords
Annual seed production, Odiel Marshes, Salinity, Saltpan, Seed dispersal, Soil seed bank
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This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
- ESM1.docx
Fig. S1. A) Location of the Odiel Marshes in the Southwest Iberian Peninsula. B) Orthophotograph of the Odiel Marshes (Southwest Iberian Peninsula) showing the location of the four study populations of the annual halophyte Salicornia ramosissima.
- ESM2.docx
Fig. S2. Study populations of Salicornia ramosissima colonizing saltpans in the Odiel Marshes (Southwest Iberian Peninsula).
- ESM3.docx
Table S1. Mature plant density, annual seed production per plant, percentage of seed production stored in the initial soil seed bank (ISSB), number of plants necessary to store in the ISSB with double the number of seeds than the recorded number of mature plants, maximum percentage and number of plants that could be extracted from the population to ensure an ISSB with double the number of seeds than the recorded number of mature plants.
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This preprint is under consideration at Plant Ecology. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Jesús M. Castillo
Universidad de Sevilla
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1949-4349
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 15 Mar, 2021
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Minor revisions
On 17 Mar, 2021
First submitted
On 11 Jan, 2021
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Halophytes are able to survive in the high salted areas of the world, and have been recognized as sources of bioactive metabolites. There is a need to design sustainable strategies for the use of wild populations of halophytic species in order to avoid irrational gathering. Seed banks are essential for resilience and regeneration in salty ecosystems. We sampled annual seed production, aerial and soil seed banks and seed dynamics for a year in four wild populations of the annual halophyte Salicornia ramosissima growing in saltpans, in order to develop sustainable management practices for the use of its populations. The seed production of S. ramosissima depended mainly on plant density rather than on the number of seeds produced by each individual plant. In three of the four study populations, most of the annual seed production was exported out of the saltpans (> 79%) and only between 14–20% was accumulated in the initial aerial and soil seed banks. These initial seed banks were highly depleted during the year until the next fruiting period, when they accumulated less than 1% of the annual seed production (from 19 to 15302 seed m− 2). Salicornia ramosissima established a persistent soil seed bank in two of the four locations. Annual seed production would be key for the preservation of those S. ramosissima populations that do not establish persistent soil seed banks. In view of our results, each population of S. ramosissima should be studied independently to design population-specific management plans.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
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