O que sabemos sobre germinação de sementes para Myrtaceae no Neotrópico?

Abstract

Seed germination data are important to understand phenological, life history, adaptation and evolutionary aspects of plants. However, information about seed germination in the tropics is scarce when compared to temperate environments. Therefore, this study aimed to build a database on seed germination for Myrtaceae in the Neotropics based on a systematic review of literature. This family is the most important woody component of megadiverse forests such as Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. Myrtaceae flowers, leaves and fruits are an important food resource to animals but also to traditional populations. To conserve this diversity and preserve its uses, it is crucial to describe its seed germination patterns to generate knowledge that helps in the development of ex-situ conservation strategies, as seed banks, and in situ, as reforestation of altered environments. In the initial search via the Web of Science, we found 2277 articles, of which only 44 (3%) had seed germination data from the focal group. From these articles, 35 species of 12 genera were studied, with 63% of the seed collections of species in Brazil, and more frequently in the Atlantic Forest (16). The most frequent goal was to describe the potential for germination at different temperatures, substrates and light conditions. According to these studies, there was greater germination success with the use of intermediate temperatures, mainly 25°C in the experiments, and paper as substrate. Most publications, 63% of the total, did not analyze seed moisture content. The results we found synthesize what we know about germination in Myrtaceae and show that we have few studies when we consider the diversity and importance of this family. The results that we found can be useful for managers and researchers in the field of ecological restoration and those studying the germination of tropical seeds or the Myrtaceae family.