Distribution and germination of mamane seeds

Author:

Scowcroft, Paul G.

Title:

Distribution and germination of mamane seeds

Periodical:

Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Research Note PSW-356, (Aug. 1982)

Year:

1982

Pages:

4 p.

Subject:

Plants

Summary:

The decline of the scrub forest within the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve, island of Hawaii, has been well documented. The relative scarcity of mamane (Sophora chrysophylla) regeneration has often been attributed to browsing by sheep (both Mouflon and feral) and feral goats, and studies are continuing to assess the effects of these herbivores. Other possible causes have been suggested, such as water stress induced by competition with dense stands of introduced grasses. The abundance, distribution, and viability of mamane seeds were determined on study sites within the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve. An average of 42 to 305 seeds per mz(super2) were found to a depth of 4 cm. About two-thirds of them were on the soil surface or in the litter. More than 75 percent of the buried seeds were found in the first 2 cm of mineral soil. Over two-thirds of the sample quadrats yielded seeds at some sample depth. Twenty-three to 75 percent of the surface seeds and 18 to 68 percent of the buried seeds germinated.

URL:

http://books.google.com/books?id=5jtT-E_w2d4C

Collection:

Monographs