Habitat restoration
Safe wild-seed harvest depends on generation time
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Across 280 species, annuals can spare only about 2% of seeds each year, while long-lived plants can lose far more without collapsing.
Key findings
US 20% annual harvest would drive annuals extinct in decades but barely affect trees. Safe annual fractions averaged 2.3% for annuals/biennials, 10.1% at 5-year generation time, and 40.1% at 20 years. Harvesting annuals only every 10 years raised the safe fraction to 30.3%. Generation time explained over half of vulnerability.
Methodology
Authors simulated 30 years of seed harvest with COMPADRE matrix models for 280 angiosperms, tested US/Australian/German safe-seed rules, and predicted a generation-time-based harvest fraction.
Limitations
Models assume harvest from the same population every season for 30 years, which is uncommon. COMPADRE matrices are uneven globally, and real combine-harvest also removes biomass, not only seeds.
How this study connects
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Evidence for the claim as stated.
Across 280 species, annuals can spare only about 2% of seeds each year, while long-lived plants can lose far more without collapsing.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
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