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Seed damage tolerance and seedling resprouting ability of Prioria copaifera in Panamá

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J. W. Dalling ,
Kyle E. Harms  and
Rafael Aizprúa
J. W. Dalling
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, República de Panamá;
Kyle E. Harms
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
Rafael Aizprúa
Affiliation:
Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Panamá, República de Panamá
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Abstract

Germination and seedling resprouting capacity of the very large-seeded tree species Prioria copaifera Griseb. (Fabaceae) was studied in the seasonally moist forest of Barro Colorado Island, Panamá. Seeds with 60% of their cotyledonary mass removed did not suffer a reduced probability of germination compared to unmanipulated seeds and seeds infested with up to eight insect larvae germinated as well as uninfested seeds. Unmanipulated seeds were able to consecutively produce up to four functional resprout shoots after excision of the initial, and subsequent, fully expanded shoots. Even seeds with up to 60% of their reserves removed showed some capacity to resprout. Less than 10% of seeds we encountered in the field 2 mo after the end of the fruiting season were in a viable state, with the majority (55%) of mortality attributable to insect or pathogen damage. Of the 46 seeds that were viable, 30% had suffered partial removal of seed reserves similar to our manipulation treatments. These results indicate that P. copaifera seeds are capable of tolerating severe seed and shoot damage. The selective advantage conferred by damage tolerance may in part have contributed to the evolution of large seed size in this species.

Keywords

El CativoPanamáPrioria copaiferaresproutseed predationseed sizeseedling damage
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , July 1997 , pp. 481 - 490
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

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References

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