SeedArc research is organized through collaborative projects proposed
and led by contributors and coordination team members.
Each project uses SeedArc primary data to address ecological,
evolutionary, or applied questions in seed germination research.
Contributors are invited to participate in ongoing projects and to
propose new ones.
Completed projects and related open-access datasets
The following projects and datasets illustrate the type of research
SeedArc aims to support. These studies have contributed to the
conceptual and methodological foundations of SeedArc and provide openly
available germination data. Open-access datasets can be found via the
article links.
Seed germination traits and naturalization potential
Gioria M, Fernández-Pascual E, Rosbakh S, Cruz Tejada DM, Dawson W,
Essl F, Kreft H, Lukács K, Pergl J, Pinzani L, van Kleunen M, Wagner M,
Weigelt P, Pyšek P & Carta A (2026).
Seed germination
traits reveal naturalization potential: Global insights from temperate
European herbaceous species.
Journal of Ecology 114, e70223.
This open-access study examines how seed germination traits relate to
the naturalization success of temperate European herbaceous species.
Using 18,596 germination records across a broad taxonomic range, the
authors show that species with higher germination proportions under
specific environmental conditions are more likely to become naturalized
outside their native range. Germination responses to temperature and
light emerge as key predictors of establishment success.
These results demonstrate how primary germination data can inform
macroecological questions linking regeneration biology with species
distributions and biological invasions.
Mediterranean seed germination syndrome and habitat
specialisation
Cruz-Tejada DM, Mattana E, Rosbakh S, Fernández-Pascual E & Carta
A (2024).
Macroclimatic Convergence
and Habitat Specialisation Shape the Mediterranean Seed Germination
Syndrome.
Ecology and Evolution 14, e70527.
This open-access study provides a regional synthesis of seed
germination responses across the Mediterranean Basin.
Using germination data from 459 species (11,363 records, 59
families), a phylogenetically informed Bayesian meta-analysis shows that
lowland Mediterranean species tend to conform to a common germination
syndrome (cool temperatures, reduced light sensitivity), whereas habitat
specialists from mountains, coasts, and wetlands display contrasting
requirements. Seed mass further shapes germination niches.
The results highlight how habitat-specific evolutionary pressures can
override broad climatic patterns.
MedGermDB – Mediterranean seed germination database
Cruz-Tejada DM, Fernández-Pascual E, Mo A, Mattana E & Carta A
(2024).
MedGermDB: A seed
germination database for characteristic species of Mediterranean
habitats. Applied Vegetation Science 27, e12771.
This study presents MedGermDB, a curated database of primary
germination records for characteristic Mediterranean plant species.
The database provides standardized experimental data supporting
comparative analyses of germination strategies across Mediterranean
ecosystems and serves as a regional precursor to the global SeedArc
framework.
SeedArc – a global archive of primary seed germination data
Fernández-Pascual E, Carta A, Jiménez-Alfaro B, Guja L, Chen S-C,
Larson JE, Phartyal SS, Rosbakh S & Silveira F (2023).
SeedArc: a global archive of
primary seed germination data.
New Phytologist 229, 3573–3586.
This paper introduces SeedArc as a global archive of primary seed
germination data, describing its data model, governance structure, and
collaborative framework.
It presents the first version of the database and establishes SeedArc
as a community-driven research infrastructure enabling large-scale
comparative analyses while ensuring transparent data ownership and
contributor recognition.
Rock n’ Seeds – Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation
Ordóñez-Parra CA, Dayrell RLC, Negreiros D, Andrade ACS, Andrade LG,
Antonini Y, Barreto LC, de V Barros F, da Cruz Carvalho V, Dugarte
Corredor BA, Davide AC, Duarte AA, Feitosa SDS, Fernandes AF, Fernandes
GW, Figueiredo MAF, Fidelis A, Garcia LC, Souza Garcia Q, Giorni VT,
Gomes VGN, Gonçalves-Magalhães C, Kozovits AR, Lemos-Filho JPL, Le
Stradic S, Machado IC, Maia FR, Marques AR, Mendes-Rodrigues C, Messias
MCTB, Morellato LPC, de Moraes MG, Moreira B, Peres Nunes F, Oliveira
AKM, Oki Y, Pietczak C, Pina JC, Ramos SJ, Ranal M, Ribeiro-Oliveira JP,
Rodrigues FH, Santana DG, Santos FMG, Senhuk APM, Silveira RA, Soares
NC, Tonetti OAO, Vieira VAS, Viana LCS & Zanetti M (2023).
Rock n’ Seeds: A Database of
Seed Functional Traits and Germination Experiments from Brazilian Rock
Outcrop Vegetation.
Ecology 104, e3852.
This open-access database compiles seed functional traits and
germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation,
recognized as outstanding centers of diversity and endemism.
The dataset includes information on 16 seed functional traits for 383
taxa and raw data from 48 germination experiments (10,187 records for
281 taxa), facilitating comparative functional ecology and ecological
synthesis in tropical megadiverse ecosystems.
Alpine seed germination spectrum
Fernández-Pascual E, Carta A, Mondoni A, Cavieres LAC, Rosbakh S,
Venn S, Satyanti A, Guja L, Briceño VF, Vandelook F, Mattana E, Saatkamp
A, Bu H, Sommerville K, Poschlod P & Liu K (2021).
The seed germination
spectrum of alpine plants: a global meta-analysis.
New Phytologist 229, 3573–3586.
This global meta-analysis synthesizes alpine seed germination data to
identify major axes of variation in germination strategies across 661
species.
The study links germination traits with environmental conditions and
life-history strategies, showing how regeneration processes shape plant
distributions in alpine environments.
SylvanSeeds – temperate deciduous forests
Fernández-Pascual E (2021).
SylvanSeeds, a seed
germination database for temperate deciduous forests.
Journal of Vegetation Science 32, e12960.
SylvanSeeds presents a curated germination database for temperate
deciduous forest species.
The dataset enables comparative analyses of regeneration strategies
in forest ecosystems and provided an early proof of concept for
harmonizing primary germination data across studies.