Seed germination strategy as an indicator of suitability for restoration of species-rich meadows

Abstract

Restoration of Arrhenatherion meadows is limited both by the lack of local seed availability in natural habitats for self-restoration purposes and the lack of information on the germination of target species in these meadows. Understanding germination strategies can optimise local seed use. This study aimed to define germination strategies for groups of species based on relevant six germination parameters: germination capacity (GC), fresh ungerminated seed (FUS), median germination time, germination velocity, germination synchrony and germination uniformity. The germination test of 23 meadow species was performed according to ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) rules. The hierarchical clustering method and PCA biplot divided the species into five groups. Based on the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's test, the evaluation of six parameters in five groups showed that species such as Arrhenatherum elatius, Centaurea jacea, Plantago lanceolata, Tragopogon pratensis and Dianthus deltoides differed significantly in terms of higher GC, lower FUS and faster germination velocity than Lathyrus pratensis, Vicia angustifolia and Geranium pratense. Conversely, these three species had more synchronous germination than species such as Knautia arvensis and Briza media and expressed the shortest peak of germination period among other species. These six parameters potentially describe germination strategies across groups of species.

Keywords

• floristic diversity
• germinability
• lowland hay meadows
• semi-natural meadows
• temperate grasslands