1. Module 5: Germination and Dormancy
Science
Places
Plants
People

2. Linking in situ and ex situ conservation
GSPC Target 8 ’20% of threatened species to be available for recovery and restoration programmes’
Linking in situ and ex situ conservation
Using collections for restoration activities
We have already touched on the first part of Target 8. The second part of the GSPC target calls for 20% of threatened species to be available for recovery and restoration programmes.
Progress towards this part of the target remains challenging. However there is an increased understanding in the importance of linking in situ and ex situ conservation using collections for restoration activities.

3. Conserving quality collections
Cleaning and drying
Storage and longevity
Germination and dormancy
Restoration
Collection in the wild
In order for seed to be useful for restoration it needs to be of conservation quality. Seed need to be collected and stored in a way that increases
Genetic Diversity
Viability and
Longevity

4. Restoration- Botanic Gardens
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, South Yunnan, China
- Restoring remnants of tropical forest
Cleared for rubber plantations
Using historical records to determine what has been lost
An example of this is the ERA. An association of botanic gardens that are actively involved in ecological restoration which are coordinated by BGCI which aims to restore 50 degraded sites by Xishuagbanna BG is an example of a garden that is using expertise in ex situ conservation to implement restoration in tropical forest cleared for rubber plantations. Using the knowledge acquired from propogating species in the garden they are using historical records to deterine what has been lost and to put it back.

5. Germination requirements are species-specific
Consider
-Taxonomy Habitat
-Life cycle of the plant Climate
-Dormancy

6. Taxonomy
If information is not present for the species of interest find the most closely related species

7. Habitat type
Aquatic
Dune
Temperate Forest
Tropical forest
Grassland

8. Life Cycle
Books
Journal Papers

9. What is the life cycle in the natural habitat?
When does this occur?
When does this occur?

10. What is the life cycle in the natural habitat?
What are the environmental conditions when this occurs
What are the environmental conditions when this occurs

11. Climate
Seed dispersal
Max
Min
Average

12. Climate eg. Temperate regions summer annuals Seeds germinate
Seeds dispersed

13. Dormancy
Evolved to delay germination until favourable environmental conditions are present for survival.

14. Exogenous (external) dormancy
Physical dormancy
Dormancy breaking in the wild
Dormancy breaking in the lab
Hard seed coat.
Fire stimulated high temperatures crack the seed coat
Scarify seeds to allow imbibition of water
Animal dispersed-digestive tract breaks physical dormancy
Sulphuric acid used to break dormancy

15. Endogenous (internal) dormancy
Morphological dormancy
Dormancy breaking in the wild
Dormancy breaking in the lab
Embryo underdeveloped. needs to grow before germination occurs
Cold or warm stratification
Cold or warm stratification- Move along experiment
Seed dispersal
20/10C
15/5C
20/10C

16. Dormancy – Plant orders

17. Germination in the wild and the lab
Taxonomy - Nymphaeae caerulea.
Habitat - Aquatic. Germination occurs in water
Climate - Distribution. East Africa rivers, Nile. Warm water
Dormancy - Physical dormancy. To break seed coat needs scarification

18. Germination- Ex situ Physical dormancy –Scarification of seed coat
Allows water in and germination takes place
Germination takes place in water

19. End of Module Five (Germination and Dormancy)
Go to Module Six (Data Management)