The applicability of a seed ecological database (SEED) in botanical research

Abstract

This is the first report on the SEed Ecological Database (SEED) being developed under the co-ordination of the author. In its first version the database will cover physical characteristics of seeds, such as: slenderness (length/width), flatness (thickness/width) and thousand-seed weight. The list of species encompasses all seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms) native or naturalized in Hungary (about 2450 species). Two examples to demonstrate the power of SEED are included. The significantly lower slenderness values of Hungarian C4 grasses (compared with C3 types), shown in the first example, is a new contribution to understanding the ecology of C4 grasses. In the second example heavier seed weights of shade plants are statistically demonstrated, compared to their heliophilous congeners with the same life forms. The 113 congeneric species pairs considered are derived from a wide range of plant families.