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Seed germination and dispersal of Eleocharis acuta and Eleocharis sphacelata under experimental hydrological conditions

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Abstract

The occurrence and distribution of aquatic macrophytes within a wetland depends on the hydrological requirements of each species and the hydrological conditions. The aims of this study were to: (1) determine relationships between germination of Eleocharis acuta and Eleocharis sphacelata and hydrological regime, (2) determine the buoyancy of the seeds of E. acuta and E. sphacelata and hence their ability to disperse by hydrochory and (3) determine whether E. acuta and E. sphacelata exhibit dormancy. The seeds of E. acuta and E. sphacelata both germinated best on soil-soaked and when inundated for 80 days (to a depth of 5 cm). No seeds of either species germinated under rainfall conditions. Viability testing following the experiment showed that some seeds of both species remained ungerminated and viable following soaking, inundation and rainfall conditions for 90 days, demonstrating that E. acuta and E. sphacelata exhibit dormancy. At least 50% of E. acuta seeds floated for 32 days, while 50% of E. sphacelata seeds remained floating for at least 39 days. These germination and dispersal characteristics define where and when these Eleocharis species establish related to temporal and spatial hydrological variability.

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Availability of data and material

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Eireann Tobin, Tom North and the National Seedbank, Australian National Botanic Gardens for undertaking the seed viability testing, Darren Marsh and the Research School of Biology, Australian National University, for sterilising the soil used in the experiment, Yasmin Cross for assisting with seed collection and running the experiment, and Jasmin Wells and Katarina Bonatakis for assisting with setting up the experiment. We thank the NSW Department of Industry—Crown Lands for providing advice on permit requirements for the collection of soil. The seed was collected under a seed collection permit (Licence number PO2018157).

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The authors received no financial support to undertake this research.

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  1. Centre for Applied Water Science, University of Canberra, University Drive, Bruce, Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia

    William Higgisson & Fiona Dyer

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  1. William Higgisson
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  2. Fiona Dyer
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WH undertook the experimental and field work components, the data analysis, and led the writing of the manuscript. FD contributed to manuscript writing and editing.

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Correspondence to William Higgisson.

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Eleocharis sphacelata seeds following seed viability testing using the Tetrazolium staining method

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Fig. 8
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Eleocharis acuta seeds following seed viability testing using the Tetrazolium staining method

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Higgisson, W., Dyer, F. Seed germination and dispersal of Eleocharis acuta and Eleocharis sphacelata under experimental hydrological conditions. Aquat Ecol 55, 21–32 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-020-09806-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-020-09806-5

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