Floss release, seed fall and germination of Ceiba pentandra in an urban environment

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dc.contributor.authorRija, A. A.
dc.contributor.authorSaidi, A.
dc.contributor.authorMwita, J.
dc.contributor.authorMwamende, K. A.
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-04T05:35:05Z
dc.date.available2019-01-04T05:35:05Z
dc.date.issued2013-09-25
dc.descriptionOpen Journal of Ecology 2013;3(6):423-430en_US
dc.description.abstractThe tropical forest kapok tree occurs widely in urban environments, dispersing thousands of floss during the fruiting season. However, its seedlings are rarely seen around human settlements, raising questions on what factors might be limiting its recruitment. We examined the pattern of floss release, seed fall post-dispersal and influences of watering frequency on germination of Ceiba pentandra seeds. Evening, overall, was associated with a significantly higher rate and quantity of floss release (p= 0.0001) than were mid-day and morning, correlating well with the speed of wind across the day (rh= 0.666, p= 0.001). Mean dispersal quantity differed significantly between the individual sampled trees, in which the highest dispersal was recorded from trees located in relatively open areas and the lowest was recorded in closed stand trees. Seed fall was higher within 100 m distances than seed fall farther away from dispersing trees, depending on the microsites and weather conditions. Germination started on day 5 onwards and only 15.67% of sown seeds germinated. Watering frequency strongly influenced seed germination while local human activities determined fate of dispersed seeds. We conclude that recruitment of C. pentandra species in the study area may have been limited by environmental and human factors operating at various local and spatial scales.en_US
dc.identifier.uriDOI:10.4236/oje.2013.36048
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/2703
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherScientific Research Publishingen_US
dc.subjectceiba pentandra, floss count, seed fall, seed dispersal, SUAen_US
dc.titleFloss release, seed fall and germination of Ceiba pentandra in an urban environmenten_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.urlDOI:10.4236/oje.2013.36048en_US

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