Center for Plant Conservation

About: Center for Plant Conservation is a nonprofit organization based out in St Louis, Missouri, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Begonia & Begoniaceae. The organization has 99 authors who have published 117 publications receiving 1146 citations.

Preservation of Recalcitrant Seeds

Abstract: Concerns about the rapid erosion of plant diversity have spawned a host of seed-banking initiatives ( 1 ). These repositories provide critical germ plasm needed to understand, maintain, and manage natural variation within and among species ( 2 ). However, numerous plant species and much of the humid tropics are underserved in these endeavors because of the perceived problem of seed recalcitrance ( 3 ). About 75 to 80% of angiosperm species ( 4 , 5 ) produce orthodox seeds that can survive drying and prolonged storage at −20°C. By contrast, 5 to 10% of angiosperm species produce recalcitrant seeds that do not survive desiccation ( 3 ) and are killed in the freezer when ice crystals form. How can their preservation be ensured?

Association between pore water sulfide concentrations and the distribution of mangroves

Abstract: At Humingbird Cay, Exuma, Bahamas, distributions of bothRhizophora mangle (red mangrove) andAvicennia germinans (black mangrove) are closely correlated with amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the soil.R. mangle is primarily distributed within large areas of low to moderate H2S concentrations (mean= 40 mg/l). H2S levels underA. germinans are lower (mean = 22 mg/l), but the area immediately beyond their root zone often has extremely high sulfide concentrations (mean= 120 mg/l). These results suggest that past attempts to explain mangrove distribution in terms of monotonic soil gradients, the dispersal characteristics of propagules, and interspecific competition are incomplete, and that it will be necessary to examine the link between soil sulfur chemistry and mangrove distribution more fully.

Differential oxidation of mangrove substrate by avicennia germinans and rhizophora mangle

Abstract: Both Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) and Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove) are commonly found in anaerobic substrate. Black mangrove roots create oxidized rhizospheres substantially larger than those described for other plant species. When air cannot enter the root system through the pneumatophores, the rhizospheres become as reduced as nearby unvegetated soil. The presence of red mangrove, in contrast, appears to have no effect on the oxidation state of surrounding anaerobic soils. It is likely that these data help to explain the distributions of both species in intertidal associations.