Abstract

Romero-Saritama, J.M., Pérez Ruiz, C. 2016. Seed morphological traits and their implication in the ex situ conservation of woody species in Tumbesian dry forests. Ecosistemas 25(2): 59-65. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2016.25-2.07 There is currently a great interest in studying functional traits in plants that aid to predict ecological interactions and responses of species to environmental or anthropological changes in ecosystems. Seeds’morphological traits play a relevant role along the whole life cycle of plants. However, they have not been well studied from functional perspective in different habitats especially in tropical dry areas, where there is great diversity of species at high risk of threat. The Tumbesian dry forests occurring in the southwestern of Ecuador and northwestern of Peru, are considered as hotspots owing to their high biodiversity and endemism. However, this ecosystem is highly threatened and some tree and shrub species have already been included in red for this reason, it is urgent to generate information that may promote the conservation of forest genetic resources of tropical dry forests. One of the most practical and immediate alternative is the collection and ex situ storage of seeds. However, in tropical dry habitats, the morphological, physiological and ecological traits of seeds are largely unknown which may prevent the performance of ex situ conservation strategies. This knowledge is important in order to efficiently collect and storage seeds that can be used in active restoration plants. In this article we provide information about morphological seeds traits of Tumbesian woody species and how such traits influence the process of seed collection and storage.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.