TITLE:
Restoration-Focused Germination and Development of Five Central Mexican Oak Species
AUTHORS:
Alfonso-Corrado Cecilia, Campos Jorge Eduardo, Mendoza Ana, Aguirre-Hidalgo Victor, Valencia-Davalos Susana, González-Adame Gabriel, Wooden Garvey Fanny, Clark-Tapia Ricardo
KEYWORDS:
Acorns, Oak, Regeneration, Seed Size, Seed Viability
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.4 No.3,
April
9,
2014
ABSTRACT: In the genus Quercus, regeneration by seed is reduced or absent in many species. The naturally protected area of the Sierra Fria, in Aguascalientes, Mexico contains forests that are fragmented and have been degraded due to human activities. The oak populations in this region demonstrate a very restricted sexual regeneration, with five of the most abundant species of this genus: Quercuseduardii, Q. grisea, Q. potosina, Q. resinosa and Q. sideroxyla presenting low seedling recruitment. In this study we evaluated seed viability and the effect of seed size on the germination, growth and survival of the trees, with the aim of recommending restoration and conservation program management actions for these oak species. In 2005 and 2006, 5000 acorns of each species were collected and viability, germination and growth experiments were performed in the laboratory and greenhouse. We found high seed viability and significant size effect (P