Freire et al. 2020 (Article) germination, Bromelia

Seed germination of Bromelia serra (Bromeliaceae): effects of the canopy openness where the mother plant lived and the light environment of the germination place

Author(s):—R. Freire, G. Klekailo, J. Asmus, A. Tessore, A. Cococcioni, V. Albute & I. Barberis

Publication:—Australian Journal of Botany 70(6): prepublished abstract. (2022)

Abstract:—Context. Some plant species show within-generational and trans-generational phenotypic plasticity associated with the light environment for germination traits. In bromeliads, light affects the seed germination of several species, but there is no study analyzing the effects of the light environment where the mother plant lived on seed germination. Bromelia serra inhabits the understory of xerophytic forests, where individuals could be conditioned by the heterogeneous light environment since its cover and abundance are negatively associated with tree basal area and woody vegetation cover. Aims. To analyze the effect of the light environment on seed germination of B. serra considering also the light environment where the mother plant lived. Methods. In four patches from three different sites in a stand of a Schinopsis balansae forest, 48 fruiting plants of B. serra were harvested. Canopy openness was obtained from a hemispherical photograph taken above each plant. From each infructescence, half of the seeds from five fruits were kept in light conditions and the remaining in dark conditions in a germination room. Key results. There was no effect of the light environment where mother plants lived on seed germination, but the light environment in the germination room positively affected germination variables. Conclusions. The positive effect of light on seed germination of B. serra might explain the spatial distribution of its individuals in these xerophytic forests. Implications. These results enhance our understanding of the regeneration and distribution of understory herbaceous species in these South American Forests.