Effects of smoke water on the germination of a carnivorous plant

Abstract

Many ecosystems are fire adapted, and conservationists often utilize prescription fires as a restoration tool. These burns have been linked to an increase in germination. Smoke is one of the driving factors for increased germination as it is chemically similar to a plant hormone (gibberellic acid). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of smoke on seed germination of a fire adapted species, Sarracenia alata. Sarracenia alata is a carnivorous plant species found in bogs and seeds require a cold stratification to germinate. We examined germination response of seeds to treatments that combined exposure of seeds to varying concentrations of smoke water (1:100, 1:1K, and 1:1M) and cold-stratification (before, during, and after). Daily germination was used to calculate the percent, rate, and synchrony of germination. Timing of exposure to Smoke water had a significant impact on the germination of S. alata.