Ordoñez-Salanueva C. A., Orozco-Segovia A., Canales-Martínez M., Seal C. E., Pritchard H. W., Flores-Ortiz C. M., Ecological longevity of Polaskia chende (Cactaceae) seeds in the soil seed bank, seedling emergence and survival, Plant Biology, 2017, 19(6):973-982, doi: 10.1111/plb.12611
A long-term Polaskia chende experiment compares seed dormancy and germination, emergence and seedling survival beneath a nurse shrub and in open ground. Seeds retained germination capacity after more than five years in soil, while dormancy varied through time. Light stimulated germination of fresh seeds. Shrub cover favoured emergence and seedling survival, whereas a dormant seed fraction persisted more strongly in the open.