Serotinous cones of Cupressus sempervirens provide viable seeds in spite of high seed predation

Five half-sib families in an 18-year old family test of Cupressus sempervirens in Italy were compared for cone crop size, cone serotiny, and seed damage. The mean number of serotinous cones per tree was significantly different among families although families did not differ by the total number of cones produced during tree's lifetime. More than 60% of the cones were colonised either by a seed chalcid, Megastigmus wachtli, or by a seed bug, Orsillus maculatus, whereas pathogenic fungi (Seiridium cardinale, Pestalotiopsis funerea) were observed in less than 25% of these cones. The quantity and quality of seeds varied significantly among families and age of cones. Seed loss due to predators and pathogens was very important in serotinous cones, varying from 75.3% up to 90.8%. However, the remaining sound seeds showed a germination rate higher than 70% and cone serotiny seemed to play an important role in cypress reproductive biology.