Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T22:49:33.768Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gorse seed bank variability in maritime pine stands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2009

Maya Gonzalez ,
Alexis Mathieu ,
Laurent Augusto ,
Céline Gire ,
Mark R. Bakker  and
Anne Budynek
Maya Gonzalez*
Affiliation:
Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33405Talence, France ENITA Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33175Gradignan, France
Alexis Mathieu
Affiliation:
Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33405Talence, France ENITA Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33175Gradignan, France INRA Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33000Villenave d'Ornon, France
Laurent Augusto
Affiliation:
INRA Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33000Villenave d'Ornon, France
Céline Gire
Affiliation:
Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33405Talence, France ENITA Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33175Gradignan, France
Mark R. Bakker
Affiliation:
Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33405Talence, France ENITA Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33175Gradignan, France
Anne Budynek
Affiliation:
INRA Bordeaux, UMR 1220 TCEM, F-33000Villenave d'Ornon, France
*
*Correspondence Fax: 335 - 5735 - 0759 Email: m-gonzalez@enitab.fr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

European gorse (Ulex europaeus L.) is a spiny shrub that grows spontaneously in the understorey of forests and heathlands in western Europe. Gorse is a pioneer species and forms large seed banks that can persist for a long time while buried deeply in the soil. Although many studies have been conducted on gorse seed banks in invasive contexts and in scrubland ecosystems, few data are available on forests in a native context. The aim of the present study was thus to report on the variability of seed-bank density in ‘critical’ stages in the forest management of pine stands (five stands) in south-western France. We examined variations in the number of gorse seeds as a function of soil depth but also of the presence and abundance of adult gorse in the understorey. Seed-bank density did not show a clear decrease in seed number with pine stand age, principally because gorse also appears to be able to establish itself in mature pine stands, probably thanks to local disturbances. In the pine stands in our study, the presence and abundance of seeds in the soil appeared to depend mostly on the presence of adult gorse as seeders in the understorey. Finally, we observed that, contrary to what has generally been found in scrubland ecosystems, most gorse seeds were located in the 5–10 cm soil layer rather than in the 0–5 cm soil layer. This depletion of the first 5 cm may be linked to seed germination that was not compensated for by the production of new seeds.

Keywords

disturbancespine forestseed banksynchronic studyUlex europaeus L.understorey
Type
Research Article
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , March 2010 , pp. 31 - 38
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alegre, J., Alonso-Blazquez, N., de Andres, E.F., Tenorio, J.L. and Ayerbe, L. (2004) Revegetation and reclamation of soils using wild leguminous shrubs in cold semiarid Mediterranean conditions: Litterfall and carbon and nitrogen returns under two aridity regimes. Plant and Soil 263, 203–212.Google Scholar
Amezaga, I. and Onaindia, M. (1997) The effect of evergreen and deciduous coniferous plantations on the field layer and seed bank of native woodlands. Ecography 20, 308–318.Google Scholar
Bossuyt, B., Heyn, M. and Hermy, M. (2002) Seed bank and vegetation composition of forest stands of varying age in central Belgium: consequences for regeneration of ancient forest vegetation. Plant Ecology 162, 33–48.Google Scholar
Busse, M.D., Jurgensen, M.F., Page-Dumroese, D.S. and Powers, R.F. (2007) Contribution of actinorhizal shrubs to site fertility in a Northern California mixed pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 244, 68–75.Google Scholar
Cavard, X., Augusto, L., Saur, E. and Trichet, P. (2007) Field effect of P fertilization on N2 fixation rate of Ulex europaeus. Annals of Forest Science 64, 875–881.Google Scholar
Clements, D.R., Peterson, D.J. and Prasad, R. (2001) The biology of Canadian weeds. 112. Ulex europaeus L. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 81, 325–337.Google Scholar
Decocq, G., Valentin, B., Toussaint, B., Hendoux, R., Saguez, R. and Bardat, J. (2004) Soil seed bank composition and diversity in a managed temperate deciduous forest. Biodiversity and Conservation 13, 2485–2509.Google Scholar
Edwards, G.R., Tozer, K.N., Maxwell, T.M.R. and Marshall, A.J. (2007) Control of gorse (Ulex europaeus) in dryland pasture converted from Pinus radiata forest. New Zealand Plant Protection 60, 141–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eycott, A.E., Watkinson, A.R. and Dolman, P.M. (2006) The soil seedbank of a lowland conifer forest: The impacts of clear-fell management and implications for heathland restoration. Forest Ecology and Management 237, 280–289.Google Scholar
Godefroid, S., Phartyal, S.S. and Koedam, N. (2006) Depth distribution and composition of seed banks under different tree layers in a managed temperate forest ecosystem. Acta Oecologica 29, 283–292.Google Scholar
Hill, M.O. and Stevens, P.A. (1981) The density of viable seed in soils of forest plantations in upland Britain. Journal of Ecology 69, 693–709.Google Scholar
Hill, R.L., Gourlay, A.H., Lee, W.G. and Wilson, J.B. (1996) Dispersal of seeds under isolated gorse plants and the impact of seed feeding insects. pp. 114–118in Proceedings from the 49th New Zealand Plant Protection Conference, Nelson, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Hill, R.L., Gourlay, A.H. and Barker, R.J. (2001) Survival of Ulex europaeus seeds in the soil at three sites in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 39, 235–244.Google Scholar
Hodgson, J.G. and Grime, J.P. (1990) The role of dispersal mechanisms, regenerative strategies and seed banks in the vegetation dynamics of the British landscape. pp. 65–97in Bunce, R.G.H.; Howard, D.C. (Eds) Species dispersal in agricultural habitats. London, Belhaven Press.Google Scholar
Hopfensperger, K.N. (2007) A review of similarity between seed bank and standing vegetation across ecosystems. Oikos 116, 1438–1448.Google Scholar
Ivens, G.W. (1978) Some aspects of seed ecology of gorse. pp. 53–58in Proceedings from the 31st New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference, New Plymouth, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Ivens, G.W. (1982) Seasonal germination and establishment of gorse. pp. 152–156in Proceedings from the 35th New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Ivens, G.W. (1983) The influence of temperature on germination of gorse (Ulex europaeus L.). Weed Research 23, 207–216.Google Scholar
Jolivet, C., Augusto, L., Trichet, P. and Arrouays, D. (2007) Les sols du massif forestier des Landes de Gascogne: formation, histoire, propriétés et variabilité spatiale. Revue Forestière Française LIX, 7–30.Google Scholar
Lee, W.G., Allen, R.B. and Johnson, P.N. (1986) Succession and dynamics of gorse (Ulex europaeus L.) communities in the Dunedin Ecological District, South-Island, New-Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 24, 279–292.Google Scholar
Marrero, P., Padilla, D.P., Valdes, F. and Nogales, M. (2007) Comparison of three chemical tests to assess seed viability: the seed dispersal system of the Macaronesian endemic plant Rubia fruticosa (Rubiaceae) as an example. Chemoecology 17, 47–50.Google Scholar
Maugé, J.P. (1989) Gestion des peuplements de la forêt landaise. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie d'Agriculture de France 75, 63–68.Google Scholar
Moss, G.R. (1959) The gorse seed problem. pp. 59–64in Proceedings from the 12th New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference, Tauranga, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Partridge, T.R. (1989) Soil seed banks of secondary vegetation on the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand, and their role in succession. New Zealand Journal of Botany 27, 421–436.Google Scholar
Puentes, M.A., Pereiras, J. and Casal, M. (1988) The seed bank of Ulex europaeus L. in shrublands of Galicia (NW Spain). 1. Initial results. Revue d'Ecologie et de Biologie du Sol 25, 215–224.Google Scholar
Pywell, R.F., Pakeman, R.J., Allchin, E.A., Bourn, N.A.D., Warman, E.A. and Walker, K.J. (2002) The potential for lowland heath regeneration following plantation removal. Biological Conservation 108, 247–258.Google Scholar
Rao, N.K., Hanson, J., Dulloo, M.E., Ghosh, K., Nowell, D. and Larinde, M. (2006) Manuel de manipulation des semences dans les banques de gènes. Manuels pour les banques de gènes No. 8. Rome, Italy, Biodiversity International.Google Scholar
Rees, M. and Hill, R.L. (2001) Large-scale disturbances, biological control and the dynamics of gorse populations. Journal of Applied Ecology 38, 364–377.Google Scholar
Richardson, R.G. and Hill, R.L. (1998) Biology of Australian weeds 34. Ulex europaeus L. Plant Protection Quarterly 13, 46–59.Google Scholar
Sargos, J. (1997) Histoire de la forêt landaise. Bordeaux, France, L'horizon Chimérique.Google Scholar
Sixtus, C.R., Hill, G.D. and Scott, R.R. (2003) The effect of temperature and scarification method on gorse (Ulex europaeus L.) seed germination. New Zealand Plant Protection 56, 201–205.Google Scholar
Tarayre, M., Bowman, G., Schermann-Legionnet, A., Barat, M. and Atlan, A. (2007) Flowering phenology of Ulex europaeus: ecological consequences of variation within and among populations. Evolutionary Ecology 21, 395–409.Google Scholar
Valbuena, L. and Trabaud, L. (2001) Contribution of the soil seed bank to post-fire recovery of a heathland. Plant Ecology 152, 175–183.Google Scholar
Viljoen, B.D. and Stoltsz, C.W. (2007) Evaluation of selected herbicides for the control of European gorse (Ulex europaeus L.) by cut-stump and foliar treatment. South African Journal of Plant and Soil 24, 130–132.Google Scholar
Warr, S.J., Kent, M. and Thompson, K. (1994) Seed bank composition and variability in 5 woodlands in South-west England. Journal of Biogeography 21, 151–168.Google Scholar
Zabkiewicz, J.A. and Gaskin, R.E. (1978) Effect of fire on gorse seeds. pp. 47–52in Proceedings from the 31st New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference, New Plymouth, New Zealand.Google Scholar