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Bacca quo vadis: Regeneration niche differences among seven sympatric Vaccinim species on headlands of Newfoundland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

Sam P. Vander Kloet  and
Nick M. Hill
Sam P. Vander Kloet*
Affiliation:
Biology Dept., Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, B0P 1X0
Nick M. Hill
Affiliation:
Biology Dept., Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3M 2J6
*
*Fax: 902-445-3960 Email: Sam.VanderKloet@acadiau.ca
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Abstract

On headlands in Newfoundland, four of the seven sympatric Vaccinium species co-occur frequently at the quadrat level in tundra communities. We hypothesized that differentiation at the regeneration niche level was a prerequisite for the coexistence of these sympatric congeners. After a description and quantification of parameters affecting whole berry and seed dispersal and those affecting seed germination, differentiation at these two levels of the regeneration niches of the seven Vaccinia was investigated using numerical clustering techniques. Differentiation patterns were similar in both the germination and the dispersal dendrograms; three species were most dissimilar (viz. V. angustifolium, V. boreale and V. uliginosum), and the remaining four were separated into single species groups at the 62% and 75% similarity levels by the germination and dispersal dendrograms, respectively. Overall, patterns reflect divergence in dispersal mechanisms and germination abilities among the seven species, in support of the thesis that sympatric congeners have varied regeneration strategies. Differences in the germination success observed after testing natural dispersal units (e.g. seed from scat and seed within whole berries) points to the need to conduct germination trials in ecologically relevant ways. This approach reveals how divergent regeneration strategies are possible in species having similar, palatable baccate fruits (e.g. V. angustifolium and V. uliginosum) and highlights our lack of insight into regeneration strategies of the groups. The cranberry seeds, despite germination success gauged by results from standard germination protocols, exhibit no germination in trials conducted with the natural dispersal unit, the whole berry.

Type
Research Article
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , March 2000 , pp. 89 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

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