Conserving alpine ecosystems and the plant communities they contain using ex situ conservation requires an understanding of seed longevity. Knowledge of seed longevity may determine the effectiveness of ex situ seed banking for alpine plant conservation, and may provide insight into plant recruitment in situ. We sought to determine the influence of elevation and climatic variables, as well as plant and seed traits, on the seed longevity of 57 species inhabiting a unique biome, (sub-)alpine regions of mainland Australia. Seed longevity was estimated using controlled accelerated ageing tests to determine the time taken for seed viability to fall by 50%. We found that, across the study species, like alpine seeds elsewhere in the world, Australian alpine seeds are relatively short-lived and overall shorter-lived than Australian plants in general. Seed mass and elevation explained most of the variation in seed longevity among the Australian alpine species considered. Species with larger seed mass, and collections made at higher elevations, were found to have relatively short-lived seeds. Phylogeny, however, explained very little of the variation in longevity. Our results suggest that viability testing for Australian alpine seeds in ex situ seed banks should be conducted with shorter intervals than for the non-alpine flora. This study highlights how seed longevity in the Australian Alps is not dictated primarily by evolutionary lineage but rather by a complex combination of environmental variables and intrinsic seed characteristics. Potential implications for conservation ex situ and in situ in the context of climate change are discussed.

Polymorphism is common in nature, but few Heliconius species are polymorphic for wing colour patterns. Eastern Brazil H. erato phyllis populations are polymorphic for hindwing elements (red raylets) and studies suggest that trait distribution varies seasonally. We carried a 3-y sampling to evaluate the hypothesis that season, wing length and pollen foraging were associated with morph diversity. Individual phenotypes were scored with regards to number of red elements in the dry and in the wet seasons. Co-mimic H. melpomene nanna was also analysed. We scored 432 H. erato and 513 H. melpomene. Our results confirm polymorphism in H. erato, with individuals showing from one to eight elements, with a mode between five and six. We found that H. melpomene is polymorphic for red dots, varying from two to five (mode = 2). Red basal dots were mostly invariant in H. erato. Even though we found a seasonal change in pollen loads, we found no association between individual phenotypes and season, pollen load scores, or wing length. We reject the hypothesis of ecological correlates of morph frequency, and suggest that trait colour variation in the two species is linked to and constrained by effects on mate recognition.