Boi. Mus. Para. piiiílio Goeldi, sér. Boi. 18(2), 2002 
g^nnination gcrmination gpnnination germinal ion 
^Aldina latifolUi 
□ CumpsUimIra como.su 
H Cruíiia amazônica 
□ .\íora paraensis 
■ Senna reticulata 
^Swartzia polyphylla 
S Vatairea giiiancnsis 
□ Tabebuia barbata 
M Crateva henthami 
□ Cccropia latiloba 
@ Nectandro amazoniim 
□ Vifex cymosa i 
Figure 1 - Seed germination (seed swelling, emergence of the radicle or the shoot) 
in twelve species from the Central Amazonian floodplains in seeds placed on a 
wet soil surface under submerged or unsubmerged conditions. 
are very well adaptecl to the changing environment. After fruit 
maturation, the seeds fali into the water and may be submerged for 
several weeks. Whether they float or sink (Table 1), they do not 
germinate until the flood recedes and the conditions are favourable for 
seedling growth. Conipetitive advantages can bc achieved by 
gcrmination under water if the flood regime is shallow and short li ved. 
Under decp and prolonged flooding, as in central Amazonian 
floodplains, the capacity of seeds to remain dormant or quicscent under 
water tends to prevent losses of entire seed crops. Also, seeds of the 
spccies that dominatc the swamps in the Southern United States 
(Taxodium dislidium, Ny.s.sa aquatica, Nys.m .sylvalica) do not genninate 
under water, and the natural rcgcncration is usually limited to drought 
periods whcn the soil surface is exposed (Hook 1984). A number of 
botlomland hardwood spccies may germinate under water, but the 
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