Total %Germination and Survival

After concluding the Common Garden study at CSU Channel Islands on March 31, 2015 I censused successfully germinated seedlings for survival.

Figure 1: % Germination and Survival of SRI Island Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana insularis) with different irrigation and leaf litter treatments. HP = High Irrigation, LP = Low Irrigation, +LL = Leaf Litter Presence, -LL = Leaf Litter Absence.

The take away …

The presence or absence of leaf litter appears to be a critical factor in germination and survival under drought  (LP) conditions. Without the presence of leaf litter or consistent rains (HP) the Island Torrey pine seed bank viability is highly impacted.