An Unorthodox Approach to Forest Restoration

摘要

In their policy forum "restoration seed banks-A matter of scale" (22 April, p. 424), D. J. Merritt and K. W. Dixon highlight the importance of ecological restoration in meeting global conservation goals, and the urgency to scale up seed supplies from seed banks to achieve such endeavors. We support their call, but emphasize that seed banks will only facilitate the restoration of ecosystems dominated by species whose seeds can tolerate drying and long-term storage. Seeds fall into two storage categories: orthodox seeds and recalcitrant (or unorthodox) seeds. Orthodox seeds tolerate desiccation without losing viability and germinate upon rehydration, making them highly amenable to storage in seed banks. Recalcitrant seeds have high moisture content and lose viability if moisture drops below a critical amount. The desiccation sensitivity of recalcitrant species means that restoration seed banks are ineffective for many plant species. Other methods, such as cryogenic storage, are unlikely to be scalable for restoration (/).