The Germination of Seeds of the Native Plant Acacia
The Germination of Seeds of the Native Plant Acacia decurrens Practical Report Biology 1
Introduction:
In a botanical sense, “germination is the process of emergence of growth from a resting stage.” (http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/germination). Under favourable conditions, the seed begins to germinate, and the embryonic tissues resume growth, developing towards a seedling.
Soils from a Cumberland Plain Woodland community were investigated to determine the presence of a soil seed-bank; and whether species richness and abundance of plants germinating from it were affected by heating such as that experienced in a fire. It was found that certain seeds reacted differently, and he the phsyical action of heating, whether at low or high temperatures affected the rate at which the seeds germinated. (Hill & French 2003).
Acacia seeds will not usually germinate without the use of a pre-treatment. As they have a hard outside coating which is generally impermeable to water. For Many Acacia seeds the breaking of the dormancy occurs with heat and although smoke and ash stimulate seed germination for many species with hard coats, heat is the main factor influencing the germination of Acacia decurrens. In the natural environment, the hard coating of the Acacia seeds may be broken down due to a bush fire allowing the plant to begin rejuvenation (Hill & French 2003).
The intention for this experiment was to determine whether the effects of heat increased or decreased the rate at which Acacia decurrens germinated. The hypothesis to be tested is; “If the Acacia decurren seeds are exposed to heat, then the rate at which they germinate will be increased.”
Hypothesis:
If the Acacia decurren seeds are exposed to heat, then the rate at which they germinate will be increased.
Experimental Design and Method:
The main utensils used in this experiment were the assortment of 60 Acacia decurrens seeds, cotton wool and 2 petri dishes, which were all
Introduction:
In a botanical sense, “germination is the process of emergence of growth from a resting stage.” (http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/germination). Under favourable conditions, the seed begins to germinate, and the embryonic tissues resume growth, developing towards a seedling.
Soils from a Cumberland Plain Woodland community were investigated to determine the presence of a soil seed-bank; and whether species richness and abundance of plants germinating from it were affected by heating such as that experienced in a fire. It was found that certain seeds reacted differently, and he the phsyical action of heating, whether at low or high temperatures affected the rate at which the seeds germinated. (Hill & French 2003).
Acacia seeds will not usually germinate without the use of a pre-treatment. As they have a hard outside coating which is generally impermeable to water. For Many Acacia seeds the breaking of the dormancy occurs with heat and although smoke and ash stimulate seed germination for many species with hard coats, heat is the main factor influencing the germination of Acacia decurrens. In the natural environment, the hard coating of the Acacia seeds may be broken down due to a bush fire allowing the plant to begin rejuvenation (Hill & French 2003).
The intention for this experiment was to determine whether the effects of heat increased or decreased the rate at which Acacia decurrens germinated. The hypothesis to be tested is; “If the Acacia decurren seeds are exposed to heat, then the rate at which they germinate will be increased.”
Hypothesis:
If the Acacia decurren seeds are exposed to heat, then the rate at which they germinate will be increased.
Experimental Design and Method:
The main utensils used in this experiment were the assortment of 60 Acacia decurrens seeds, cotton wool and 2 petri dishes, which were all
References: * Auld, T.D., O 'Connell, M.A. (1991) Predicting patterns of post-fire germination in 35 eastern Australian Fabacaeae, Australian Journal of Ecology 16, 53-70 * Hill SJ & French K (2003) Response of the soil seed-bank of Cumberland Plain Woodland to heating, Austral Ecology 28, 14-22(9) * Dictionary. Oxford Dictionary of Science Fourth ed (2003) Oxford University Press Inc. New York * Dictionary. Labour Law Talk (2005) Available at http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/germination (accessed 01/04/2008)