Seed Ecology

1 Reproductive strategies in plants. - 1. 1 Seeds versus vegetative reproduction. - 1. 2 The principle of allocation. - 1. 3 Reproductive effort. - 1. 4 Life histories and fertility schedules. - 1. 5 Seed size and number. - 2 Predispersal hazards. - 2. 1 Seed losses due to pollination failure. - 2. 2 Seed losses due to resource deficiency. - 2. 3 Seed losses due to predation. - 2. 4 Seed losses due to lethal gene combinations. - 3 Dispersal. - 3. 1 Dispersal curves. - 3. 2 Dispersal agents. - 3. 3 Wind dispersal. - 3. 4 External carriage by birds animals and man. - 3. 5 Myrmecochory. - 3. 6 Dispersal by frugivory. - 3. 7 Long distance dispersal. - 4 Soil seed banks. - 4. 1 The seed content of soils. - 4. 2 Seed banks in relation to life strategies. - 4. 3 Seed longevity. - 4. 4 Field longevity experiments. - 4. 5 Ecological significance of seed banks. - 5 Dormancy. - 5. 1 Ecological significance of dormancy. - 5. 2 Types of dormancy. - 5. 3 Cyclic changes in dormancy. - 5. 4 Influence of parental environment on seed dormancy. - 5. 5 Correlative effects. - 6 Germination. - 6. 1 The role of gaps in regeneration. - 6. 2 Temperature fluctuations. - 6. 3 Light quality and periodicity. - 6. 4 Microtopography and water relations. - 6. 5 The chemical environment. - 7 Seedling establishment. - 7. 1 Shade seed size and seedling growth. - 7. 2 Seedling morphology in relation to shade. - 7. 3 Competition and seedling survival. - 7. 4 Other establishment hazards: drought burial and predation. - 8 Regeneration and diversity. - 8. 1 Coexistence. - 8. 2 Gap size. - 8. 3 Gap diversity. - 8. 4 Timing of disturbance. - 8. 5 Environmental fluctuations. - 8. 6 Intraspecific spacing. - 8. 7 Relative abundance. - References. Language: English