Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Scarification is often done mechanically, thermally, and chemically. The seeds of many plant species are often impervious to water and gases, thus preventing or delaying germination. Any process designed to make the testa (seed coat) more permeable to water and gases is known as scarification.
True dormancy or inherent (or innate) dormancy is caused by conditions within the seed that prevent germination even if the conditions are favorable. [7] Imposed dormancy is caused by the external conditions that remain unsuitable for germination [8] Seed dormancy can be divided into two major categories based on what part of the seed produces dormancy: exogenous and endogenous. [9]
Most seeds are not affected by light or darkness, but many photoblastic seeds, including species found in forest settings, will not germinate until an opening in the canopy allows sufficient light for the growth of the seedling. [2] Scarification mimics natural processes that weaken the seed coat before germination. In nature, some seeds ...
Scarification is defined [2] as "loosening the top soil of open areas, or breaking up the forest floor, in preparation for regenerating by direct seeding or natural seedfall", but the term is often misapplied to practices that include scalping, screefing, and blading, which pare off low and surface vegetation, together with most off its roots ...
In ecotypes, it is common for continuous, gradual geographic variation to impose analogous phenotypic and genetic variation, a situation which leads to the emergence of clines. [1] A well-known example of a cline is the skin color gradation in indigenous human populations worldwide, which is related to latitude and amounts of sunlight.
Seeds of many trees, shrubs and perennials require these conditions before germination will ensue. [3] In the wild, seed dormancy is usually overcome by the seed spending time in the ground through a winter period and having its hard seed coat softened by frost and weathering action. By doing so the seed is undergoing a natural form of "cold ...
An artificial example is habitat fragmentation due to human land use. By contrast, natural barriers to dispersal that limit species distribution include mountain ranges and rivers. An example is the separation of the ranges of the two species of chimpanzee by the Congo River.
Scarification allows water and gases to penetrate into the seed; it includes methods to physically break the hard seed coats or soften them by chemicals, such as soaking in hot water or poking holes in the seed with a pin or rubbing them on sandpaper or cracking with a press or hammer. Sometimes fruits are harvested while the seeds are still ...