Using Climate Data to Predict Optimum Germination Conditions for Wild Species

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1 Using Climate Data to Predict Optimum Germination Conditions for Wild Species Lindsay Robb, Robin Probert, John Dickie, Kenwin Liu and Fiona Hay Seed Conservation Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

2 Millennium Seed Bank Partnership RBG, Kew banking seeds for 35 years MSBP established for 10 years 152 partner institutions in 54 countries worldwide Collected and stored >55,000 collections representing >30,000 species of wild plants

3 Millennium Seed Bank Project Establish germination protocols for each collection Conduct >14,000 germination tests each year Germination tests previously based on taxonomy and successful treatments on other collections of the same species BUT As our seed intake has increased and many of our more endangered collections are small, we now have a need to make better predictions about germination requirements.

4 Germination Demand of native wild plant species in revegetation and single species reintroduction is increasing Require maximum germination from collected seed to reduce waste, costs and increase genetic diversity Protocols developed for germination of native species should achieve high germination What determines seed germination requirements?

5 Optimum germination temperatures reflect local climate

6 Germination temperatures reflect Climate Meedkatharra Study site S E Geraldton Perth Study published in 1972 for species growing in the same habitat but grow at different times of the year Mott, J.J. (1972) J.Ecol

7 Germination temperatures reflect Climate Data from: Mott, J.J. (1972) J.Ecol

8 Germination temperatures reflect Climate 30 C 20 C Aristida contorta (summer grass) Helicrysum cassinianum (winter Asteraceae) 15 C Helipterum craspedioides (winter Asteraceae) Summer growing season Winter growing season

9 WorldClim Set of global climate layers Uses latitude/longitude coordinates and algorithms to generate climate data for any location

10 WorldClim Information Month of dispersal Incubator temperatures

11 Germ temp = 5 C Aciphylla glacialis (Umbelliferae)

12 Differences within species Ammi visnaga (Umbelliferae) 1 species 2 collections Morocco, England 2 very different climates

13 Differences within species Ammi visnaga (Umbelliferae) Country Date collected Germ Temp Germ % MOROCCO Fez 26-Jun 25/10 85% MOROCCO Fez 26-Jun 35/20 4%

14 Differences within species Ammi visnaga (Umbelliferae) Country Date collected Germ Temp Germ % ENGLAND Bedfordshire 01-Sep 15 C 70% ENGLAND Bedfordshire 01-Sep 25/10 C 8%

15 Climate and Dormancy Dormancy? Approximately 70% of wild species have dormant seeds (Baskin & Baskin 2003) We know that climate and dormancy are related

16 Climate and Dormancy 5,250 species (B.&B. 2003) DORMANT NON-DORMANT Environment affects the seeds developing on the parent plant

17 Data from: James Wood, Tasmanian SeedSafe Programme Climate vs Taxonomy Pomaderris species (Rhamnaceae) NE Tasmania P. paniculosa

18 Climate vs Taxonomy Pomaderris species (Rhamnaceae) NE Tasmania P. aspera

19 Climate vs Taxonomy Pomaderris species (Rhamnaceae) NE Tasmania P. intermedia

20 Climate vs Taxonomy Pomaderris species (Rhamnaceae) NE Tasmania P. phylicifolia X

21 Summary Climate/germination relationship established Taxonomy closely related species Literature same species Requirements may vary for collections from different locations, even within species

22 Summary Local climate data can help predict germination treatments Saves time, costs and increases genetic diversity

23 Current Status Internet-based public interface Enter: genus, species, collection month, latitude/longitude Return: 1. Successful germination test at MSB 2. List of relevant published literature 3. WorldClim climate data U.K. Global

24 May not have bad seeds, just bad treatments

25 Thank you! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS James Wood, Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens Katherine O Donnell, Millennium Seed Bank Project