Frugivores are thought to influence plant recruitment by creating initial seed deposition templates. However, post-deposition processes (e.g., predation) may obscure these initial patterns. Few studies have examined successive life-history stages of animaldispersed plants to evaluate how initial frugivore seed deposition influences early life stages of plant recruitment. We addressed this issue...

The sustainability of seed extraction from natural populations has been questioned recently. Increased recruitment failure under intense seed harvesting suggests that seed extraction intensifies source limitation. Nevertheless, areas where more seeds are collected tend to also have more intense hunting of seed-dispersing animals. We studied whether such hunting, by limiting disperser activity, ...

Although the importance of plant-associated microorganisms for plant growth and health was getting more recognition recently, the role of seed-associated microorganisms, and especially seed endophytic bacteria, still is underestimated. Nevertheless, these associations could be beneficial for germination and seedling establishment as seed endophytic bacteria are already present in these very ear...

Seed dormancy determines the timing of germination, thereby contributing to successful seedling establishment and plant fitness. The induction and release of dormancy are controlled by various regulators like plant hormones and dormancy proteins. The relative strengths of these regulators are influenced by environmental factors during seed maturation and storage. In the last few years additiona...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Legume nitrogen is derived from two different sources, symbiotically fixed atmospheric N(2) and soil N. The effect of genetic variability of root and nodule establishment on N acquisition and seed protein yield was investigated under field conditions in pea (Pisum sativum). In addition, these parameters were related to the variability in preference for rhizobial genotypes. ...

The dynamics of tree populations depend on spatial patterns of seed production and recruitment. These patterns result from the succession of different processes, including seed arrival, seedling emergence, establishment and growth (Schupp & Fuentes, 1995). While spatial patterns of seed arrival are determined by the mechanisms of seed dispersal (Nathan & Muller-Landau, 2000), those related to r...

The conservation of rare plant species hinges on our ability to identify the underlying mechanisms that limit rare plant populations. Theory on rarity suggests that both predispersal seed predation and competition can be important mechanisms influencing abundance and/or distribution of rare plant populations. Yet few studies have tested these interactions, and those that have evaluated each mec...

Regulation of seed germination requires coordinate action by the embryo and surrounding endosperm. We used Arabidopsis thaliana to establish the relative roles of embryo and endosperm in the control of seed germination and seedling establishment. We previously showed that endospermic oil reserves are used postgerminatively via gluconeogenesis to fuel seedling establishment and that lipid breakd...

Small-mammal seed predation is an important force structuring native-plant communities that may also influence exotic-plant invasions. In the intermountain West, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are prominent predators of native-plant seeds, but they avoid consuming seeds of certain widespread invasives like spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa). These mice also consume the biological-control...