Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species
Seed bank survival underpins plant population persistence but studies on seed bank trait-environment interactions are few. Changes in environmental conditions relevant to seed banks occur in desert ecosystems owing to solar energy development. We developed a conceptual model of seed bank survival to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/9/1125 |
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| author | Rebecca R. Hernandez Karen E. Tanner Sophia Haji Ingrid M. Parker Bruce M. Pavlik Kara A. Moore-O’Leary |
| author_facet | Rebecca R. Hernandez Karen E. Tanner Sophia Haji Ingrid M. Parker Bruce M. Pavlik Kara A. Moore-O’Leary |
| author_sort | Rebecca R. Hernandez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Seed bank survival underpins plant population persistence but studies on seed bank trait-environment interactions are few. Changes in environmental conditions relevant to seed banks occur in desert ecosystems owing to solar energy development. We developed a conceptual model of seed bank survival to complement methodologies using in-situ seed bank packets. Using this framework, we quantified the seed bank survival of two closely related annual desert plant species, one rare (<i>Eriophyllum mohavense</i>) and one common (<i>Eriophyllum wallacei</i>), and the seed bank–environment interactions of these two species in the Mojave Desert within a system that emulates microhabitat variation associated with solar energy development. We tracked 4860 seeds buried across 540 seed packets and found, averaged across both species, that seed bank survival was 21% and 6% for the first and second growing seasons, respectively. After two growing seasons, the rare annual had a significantly greater seed bank survival (10%) than the common annual (2%). Seed bank survival across both species was significantly greater in shade (10%) microhabitats compared to runoff (5%) and control microhabitats (3%). Our study proffers insight into this early life-stage across rare and common congeners and their environmental interactions using a novel conceptual framework for seed bank survival. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:42:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c068e45863184176a9e62b0d2ed1fa44 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:42:18Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-c068e45863184176a9e62b0d2ed1fa442023-11-20T11:57:34ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472020-08-0199112510.3390/plants9091125Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant SpeciesRebecca R. Hernandez0Karen E. Tanner1Sophia Haji2Ingrid M. Parker3Bruce M. Pavlik4Kara A. Moore-O’Leary5Department of Land, Air & Water Resources, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USAEcology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USAEcology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USAEcology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USAConservation Department, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USAU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 3020 State University Drive East, Sacramento, CA 95819, USASeed bank survival underpins plant population persistence but studies on seed bank trait-environment interactions are few. Changes in environmental conditions relevant to seed banks occur in desert ecosystems owing to solar energy development. We developed a conceptual model of seed bank survival to complement methodologies using in-situ seed bank packets. Using this framework, we quantified the seed bank survival of two closely related annual desert plant species, one rare (<i>Eriophyllum mohavense</i>) and one common (<i>Eriophyllum wallacei</i>), and the seed bank–environment interactions of these two species in the Mojave Desert within a system that emulates microhabitat variation associated with solar energy development. We tracked 4860 seeds buried across 540 seed packets and found, averaged across both species, that seed bank survival was 21% and 6% for the first and second growing seasons, respectively. After two growing seasons, the rare annual had a significantly greater seed bank survival (10%) than the common annual (2%). Seed bank survival across both species was significantly greater in shade (10%) microhabitats compared to runoff (5%) and control microhabitats (3%). Our study proffers insight into this early life-stage across rare and common congeners and their environmental interactions using a novel conceptual framework for seed bank survival.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/9/1125disturbancedrylandsphotovoltaicplant communityplant traitsrare species |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca R. Hernandez Karen E. Tanner Sophia Haji Ingrid M. Parker Bruce M. Pavlik Kara A. Moore-O’Leary Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species Plants disturbance drylands photovoltaic plant community plant traits rare species |
| title | Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species |
| title_full | Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species |
| title_fullStr | Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species |
| title_short | Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species |
| title_sort | simulated photovoltaic solar panels alter the seed bank survival of two desert annual plant species |
| topic | disturbance drylands photovoltaic plant community plant traits rare species |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/9/1125 |
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