Soil Seed Bank of the Alpine Endemic Carnation, Dianthus pavonius Tausch (Piedmont, Italy), a Useful Model for the Study of Host-Pathogen Dynamics

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 17; p. 2432
• Main Authors: Carasso, Valentina, Bruns, Emily L, Antonovics, Janis, Hood, Michael E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Alpine ecosystems; Banks (Finance); Climate change; Dianthus pavonius; Endemic species; Genotype & phenotype; Germination; Host plants; host–pathogen interactions; Impact analysis; Indigenous species; Life span; Maritime Alps; Meadows; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Microbotryum spp; Natural populations; Pathogens; Seed banks; seed dormancy; Seeds; Soil analysis; Soil investigations; Soils; Threatened species; Wildlife conservation; Alps; Italy; seed dormancy; host–pathogen interactions; Microbotryum spp; Maritime Alps; endemic species
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants13172432

Soil seedbanks are particularly important for the resiliency of species living in habitats threatened by climate change, such as alpine meadows. We investigated the germination rate and seedbank potential for the endemic species , a carnation native to the Maritime Alps that is used as model system for disease in natural populations due to its frequent infections by a sterilizing anther-smut pathogen. We aimed to ascertain whether this species can create a persistent reserve of viable seeds in the soil which could impact coevolutionary dynamics. Over three years, we collected data from seeds sown in natural soil and analyzed their germination and viability. We found that seeds are not physiologically dormant and they are able to create a persistent soil seed bank that can store seeds in the soil for up to three years, but lower than the estimated plant lifespan. We conclude that while the seedbank may provide some demographic stability to the host population, its short duration is unlikely to strongly affect the host's ability to respond to selection from disease. Our findings have implications for the conservation of this alpine species and for understanding the evolutionary dynamics between the host and its pathogen.