Species Identity and the Effect on Germination

Ecological restoration is increasing in importance with the persisting climate crisis. Successful seed-based restoration is challenging in arid systems; this is in part because seedlings are most vulnerable during the transition between seed and seedling. Practitioners may be able to improve restoration outcomes using easily measurable seed characteristics (e.g., size and mass) if these characteristics are related to germination rates. Established research in the field of ecology has found larger seeds tend to have the highest germination percentage in less time, when compared to small or medium sized seeds (Ahirwar, 2015). The ability for greater resource storage and starch access can be attributed to seeds of larger sizes having enhanced germination and growth rates (Ahirwar, 2015). However, the effect of variation in seed characteristics on germination is substantially overlooked in ecological research. Here, we explore if there is a relationship between variation in seed size or seed mass and germination percentage. It will also be determined if the relationship between seed characters and percent germination vary by function groups (i.e., grasses and forbs).