SynthesisAnnals of botany2022
Seed ecology of European mesic meadows.
Synthesis in Annals of botany, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Climate shapes the seed germination niche of temperate flowering plants: a meta-analysis of European seed conservation data.Annals of botany · 2022Pooled it
- The genome sequence of Bird's-foot,Wellcome open research · 2026Article
- Seed functional ecology in Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation: an integrative synthesis.Annals of botany · 2025Article
- Mother-reliant or self-reliant: the germination strategy of seeds in a species-rich alpine meadow is associated with the existence of pericarps.Annals of botany · 2024Article
- Seed dormancy types and germination response of 15 plant species in temperate montane peatlands.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsEuropean mesic meadows are semi-natural open habitats of high biodiversity and an essential part of European landscapes. These species-rich communities can be a source of seed mixes for ecological restoration, urban greening and rewilding. However, limited knowledge of species germination traits is a bottleneck to the development of a competitive native seed industry. Here, we synthesize the seed ecology of mesic meadows.
methodsWe combined our own experimental data with data obtained from databases to create a combined dataset containing 2005 germination records of 90 plant species from 31 European countries. We performed a Bayesian meta-analysis of this dataset to test the seed germination response to environmental cues including scarification, stratification, temperature, alternating temperature and light. We also used multivariate ordination to check the relationship between seed traits (germination and morphology) and species ecological preferences, and to compare the seed ecology of mesic meadows with that of other herbaceous plant communities from the same geographic area. KEY
resultsThe seed ecology of mesic meadows is characterized by (1) high seed germinability when compared with other herbaceous plant communities; (2) low correspondence between seed traits and species ecological preferences; and (3) a deep phylogenetic separation between the two major families, Poaceae and Fabaceae. Poaceae produce many light seeds that respond to gap-detecting germination cues (alternating temperatures and light); Fabaceae produce fewer heavy seeds, which need scarification to break their physical dormancy.
conclusionsHigh germinability of meadow seeds will reduce their capacity to form persistent seed banks, resulting in dispersal limitations to passive regeneration. For centuries, human activities have shaped the regeneration of meadows, leading to a loss of seed dormancy and decoupling seeds from seasonal cycles, as has been found in many domesticated species. The same anthropic processes that have shaped semi-natural mesic meadows have left them dependent on continued human intervention for their regeneration, highlighting the importance of active restoration via seed supply.
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