Germination of cloud forest native shrubs with potential for restoration in central Veracruz, Mexico
Description
We recorded germination percentage, the number of days for the beginning of germination, and the 50% of germination. Our results showed an important difference in the germination response between both germination conditions of the eight species evaluated. The optimal conditions for germination for most species were constant light and temperature of 25°C provided by the germination chamber, as this was associated with high rates of germination and generally rapid seedling development. On the other hand, the conditions of the greenhouse, including the light and alternating temperatures, were unfavorable for most species, leading to low rates of germination and significant delays in the germination process. Although the pre-germinative treatment had no effect on the germination of the species, it might be necessary to conduct field-based germination experiments that consider factors such as water availability, soil moisture, and the effects of varying light intensities.
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Steps to reproduce
We selected eight shrub plants typical of Tropical Mountain Cloud Forest (TMCF) and of ecological importance in these communities, given their high abundance and potential role in ecological restoration (coverage, density, frequency), availability of fruits, and location in forest clearings. The species that met these criteria were: Conostegia xalapensis, Hoffmannia excelsa, Hybanthus glaber, Miconia desmantha, Miconia mexicana, Moussonia deppeana, Hamelia patens, Piper lapathifolium. We collected seeds of all the shrub species in the ‘‘Santuario del Bosque de Niebla’’ (SBN) reserve, located in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico (19 30´047.80´´N, 96 56´15.93´´W; 1250 m asl). The SBN is a fragment of TMCF (30 ha) that presents different successional stages including open areas, secondary vegetation, and remnants of old-growth forest. During the first half of the last century, parts of the SBN were occupied by shade coffee plantation, where coffee and citrus replaced the understory vegetation. Since 1975, however, the area was protected, and forest recovery took place through elimination of coffee and citrus and allowing natural succession. The local climate is temperate humid with an average annual temperature of 18.7 C and mean annual rainfall of 1671 mm, the soil is classified as Andesite (Williams-Linera et al. 2013). The vegetation cover is dominated by Quercus xalapensis, Q. germana, Carpinus tropicalis, Clethra macrophylla, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Turpinia insignis (Williams-Linera et al. 2013). We visited the SBN twice a month between May and June 2020 to collect mature fruits from eight native shrub species. Overall, five fruits were collected from five healthy individuals per species; in the case of H. glaber, we collected 50 fruits per individual and transported in labeled paper bags. To determine the seed extraction method, harvested fruits were classified as dehiscent and fleshy (Sierra et al., 2020). Thus, for dehiscent fruits, we allowed the natural release of seeds at room temperature, whereas for fleshy fruits, we cleaned the seeds in a container with water. After seed cleaning, viable seeds were selected according to the flotation method and submerged for 24 h. (Arana and Varela 2010). Seeds obtained were stored in paper bags at room temperature for later use in germination tests.