Seed desiccation tolerance/sensitivity of tree species from Brazilian biodiversity hotspots: considerations for conservation

Key message Seed banking is an essential tool for species conservation. However, two world’s biodiversity hotspots in a megadiverse tropical country have high percentage of short-lived seeds, requiring new strategies for preservation. Abstract Information on seed storage behaviour is crucial for conservation, especially on highly impacted biomes. Thus, this study aimed to investigate seed desiccation tolerance/sensitivity in native tree species of two world’s biodiversity hotspots, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. We assessed seed storage behaviour for 11 species. The tests were conducted immediately after seed collection at 12% and 8–5% of water content followed by 3 months of storage at − 18 °C. In addition, we retrieved data on the literature about water content after dispersal and storage behaviour of seeds for several tree species native from these hotspots. It comprised 79 species from 30 families. From this total, 47.4% of species produced orthodox seeds, 19.2% intermediate, and 33.3% recalcitrant seeds. All species from Lauraceae produced recalcitrant seeds. Most of studied species produce long-lived orthodox seeds; however, a high percentage of species produce sensitive seeds. Species producing short-lived seeds require non-conventional storage methods. Information on seed storage behaviour is fundamental for species management, especially in tropical areas, where the number of recalcitrant species is high. Thus, seed banking and other conservation strategies must be improved to avoid species loss. Technologies to improve storage of recalcitrant seeds are discussed.