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Agathis philippinensis

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Nepenthes argentii

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alamus ornatus var. philippinensis

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Agalmyla persimilis

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Medinilla magnifica

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Shorea astylosa

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Paphiopedilum ciliolare

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Shorea negrosensis

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Plant phototropism (shoot growth towards light) and gravitropism (root growth towards the ground) as governed by auxin concentrations

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The difference between a monocot and dicot embryo development!

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Watch the video below to capture the beauty of Mount Hamiguitan!

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Climbing the NEWEST World Heritage Site in the Philippines - Mount Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental

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Embryogenesis is a process that transforms singe-celled zygote into a mature embryo contained in the mature seed (Méndez-Hernández et al., 2019). In embryogenesis, there are developmental processes that occur, namely, morphogenesis, organogenesis, differentiation, and histogenesis. However, this process differ among seed plant groups, such as those between monocots and eudicots. For instance, eudicot embryogenesis is divided into five stages, specifically: the Zygotic Stage wherein a fusion of the haploid egg and sperm to form a single-celled zygote occurs, the apical cell undergoes a series of cell divisions, producing a spherical, octant globular which exhibits a radial symmetry; hence, called the globular stage. Meanwhile, a targeted cell division in two regions (future apical meristem) to form the two cotyledons (bilateral symmetry) happen in the heart stage. In torpedo stage, there's an occurrence of cell elongation and cellular differentiation in the embryonic axis (Taiz & Zeiger, 2015). And later in embryogenesis, mature stage lead to the loss of water of the embryo and seed, resulting to the inactivation of metabolic activity since this also the time they will enter they enter dormancy stage. Consequently, this last stage leads to the deposition of storage products such as carbohydrates, lipids, and/or proteins, and products for desiccation tolerance (Tian et al., 2020). Aside from these stages, to establish basic body plan, radial patterning elicits three tissue systems while axial patterning produces the apical-basal (shoot-root) axis. To emphasize, radial patterning happens during the globular stage as the three tissue systems (dermal, ground, and vascular ) of the plant are instigated. Dermal tissue (epidermis) will give rise to the protoderm and contribute to the outer protective layer while the ground meristem forms the ground tissue (cortex and pith), lying beneath the protoderm, and lastly, vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) necessary for support and transport are formed by the procambium. Moving on to the axial body plan which is evident during the heart stage of development. The transition from radial to bilateral symmetry is initiated by the hormones specifically auxins (Chatterjee et al., 2016). Moreover, a series of transverse divisions produces the suspensor which allow s attachment of the embryo to the vascular system of the parent plant and hypophysis that contributes to some parts of the root apical meristem (columella, root cap tissues and the quiescent center) (Taiz & Zeiger, 2015).

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Seed germination is a complex process wherein it initiates first developmental phase in the lifecycle of plants. This is also a process by which post germinative growth of the seedlings occurs.Germination starts under favourable environmental conditions wherein light, temperature, soil components, and the molecular mechanisms of a response have well been sufficed (Wolny et al., 2018). Additionally, in order for a seed to germinate, the uptake of water is necessary which is termed as the imbibition. This includes three phases, particularly Phase I as sigmoidal phase of water imbibition, Phase II as the plateau phase of water imbibition, and lastly, the protrusion phase which allows the recognition of seed germination (Costa et al., 2019). After imbibition, the active embryo generates a stage of high metabolic activity wherein it causes high energetic demands, resulting to increased cell elongation and divisions whereby the involvement of auxins specifically indole-3-acetic acid leads to the continuous cell wall loosening (Pedrosa Gomes et al., 2014).

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Amoroso, V., & Aspiras, R. (2011). Hamiguitan Range: A sanctuary for native flora. Saudi Journal Of Biological Sciences, 18(1), 7-15.

Aureo, W. A., Reyes, T. D., Mutia, F., Jose, R. P., & Sarnowski, M. B. (2020). Diversity and composition of plant species in the forest over limestone of Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape, Bohol, Philippines. Biodiversity data journal, 8, e55790.

Bareke, T. (2018). Biology of seed development and germination physiology. Advances In Plants & Agriculture Research, 8(4).

Bentsink, L., & Koornneef, M. (2008). Seed dormancy and germination. The arabidopsis book, 6, e0119.

Bethany, L. (2017, February 28). Seed Banking and its Benefits. The Permaculture Research Institute. https://www.permaculturenews.org/2017/02/28/seed-banking-benefits/.

Chatterjee, S. J., Halaoui, R., & McCaffrey, L. (2016). Apical–Basal Polarity as a Sensor for Epithelial Homeostasis: A Matter of Life and Death. Current Pathobiology Reports, 4(3), 99–106.

Costa, A., Dias, L., & Dias, A. (2019). Imbibition, Germination, and Early Seedling Growth Responses of Light Purple and Yellow Seeds of Red Clover to Distilled Water, Sodium Chloride, and Nutrient Solution. Sci, 1(2), 51.

Finch‐Savage, W., & Leubner‐Metzger, G. (2006). Seed dormancy and the control of germination. New Phytologist, 171(3), 501-523.

Gosling, R. (2020, December 2). What is a seed bank, how does it work and why is it important? Woodland Trust. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/12/what-is-a-seed-bank/.

Islam, M., & Kimura, E. (2012). Seed Scarification Methods and their Use in Forage Legumes. Research Journal Of Seed Science, 5(2), 38-50.

Méndez-Hernández, H. A., Ledezma-Rodríguez, M., Avilez-Montalvo, R. N., Juárez-Gómez, Y. L., Skeete, A., Avilez-Montalvo, J., De-la-Peña, C., & Loyola-Vargas, V. M. (2019). Signaling Overview of Plant Somatic Embryogenesis. Frontiers in plant science, 10, 77.

Pedrosa Gomes, M., Smedbol, É., Mércia Lima Carvalho Carneiro, M., Souza Garcia, Q., & Juneau, P. (2014). Reactive Oxygen Species and Plant Hormones. Oxidative Damage To Plants, 65-88.

Taiz, L., & Zeiger, E. (2015). Plant physiology. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.

Tian, R., Paul, P., Joshi, S., & Perry, S. E. (2020). Genetic activity during early plant embryogenesis. The Biochemical journal, 477(19), 3743–3767.

Tuan, P. A., Sun, M., Nguyen, T.-N., Park, S., & Ayele, B. T. (2019). Molecular mechanisms of seed germination. Sprouted Grains, 1–24. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-811525-1.00001-4

Wolny, E., Betekhtin, A., Rojek, M., Braszewska-Zalewska, A., Lusinska, J., & Hasterok, R. (2018). Germination and the Early Stages of Seedling Development in Brachypodium distachyon. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(10), 2916.

Retrieved from https://www.usaid.gov 17 August 2016 (26 May 2021)

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Dormancy is referred to as the inhibition or inability of viable seeds to germinate under favourable conditions. It is also the property of a seeds that explains their environmental conditions in which they are able to germinate (Finch‐Savage& Leubner‐Metzger, 2006). According to Wolny et al. (2018), the coleorhiza that covers the radicle serves as a barrier to the emergence of the roots; hence, it plays a key role in initiating dormancy. Moreover, this mechanism is also controlled by the catabolism of ABA in the tissues surrounding the root in the seed and the amount of ABA in the coleorhiza. However, this block has evolved differently across species by adapting to the persisting environment wherein germination occurs when a favourable conditions are likely to be suitable to perform such development. Hence, the evolutions of a diverse range of dormancy mechanisms are observed on plant species to adapt with the different climates and habitats in which they function (Finch‐Savage& Leubner‐Metzger, 2006). However, this blockage can be overcome through the methods of scarification and/or stratification. Scarification is the act or process of scarifying to damage the seed coat to reduce hard seed while keeping its viability. The methods involved are as follows (Islam & Kimura, 2012):

Heat Scarification utilizes high temperatures to break or crack seed coat (rice (Oryza sativa), wild oat (Avena fatua), barley (Hordeum vulgare));

Freeze-Thaw Scarification exposes seeds to alternations of temperature between low and high;

Mechanical Scarification physically generates scars on the surface to allow the increase of water imbibition in the seed and lastly;

Acid Scarification melts seed coat and softens hard seed by using chemical methods.

On the other hand, stratification is also implemented to remove the dormancy period, thus increasing the germination performance such as the case for Arabidopsis. This technique involved cold and warm stratification. For instance, cold stratification in wheat seeds caused the break of dormancy which is reportedly associated with the decrease of ABA levels (Tuan et al., 2019).

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A seed is defined as an embryo of the plant. It is an immature diploid sporophyte that develops from the zygote. Plant embryos are surrounded by a nutritive tissue and enclosed in a seed coat. It also consists of an immature root termed as the radicle, epicotyl which is a shoot apical meristem, cotyledons the embryonic leaves, and lastly, the transition region between the stem and root which is called the hypocotyls. Additionally, prior to fertilization, this immature seed is known as an ovule (Bareke, 2018). Aside from being an important stage of a plant life cycle, seed also serves as a dispersal unit of the plant (Bentsink & Koornneef, 2008).

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According to the study conducted by Amoroso and Aspiras (2011), the Philippines caters 3,557 endemic species and 26 endemic genera of plant species whereby 3,200 are classified as angiosperms, 6 aregymnosperms, and 351 are pteridophytes. Hamiguitan Range revealed that there are 163 (18.56%) endemic species, 35 (3.99%) threatened, and 33 (3.75%) rare plant species reside in this sanctuary. In particular, a total of 163 endemic species of vascular plants are discovered corresponding to the 5.09% of the total number of endemic plant species in the country. To highlight, angiosperms had the highest share of 156 (41.92%) endemic species compared to 1 (9.09%) pteridophytes, and 9 (7.69%) gymnosperms.

If a seed bank were to be established near Mt. Hamiguitan, these endangered, endemic, and rare species that need further study should be prioritized: Nepenthes micramphora, Shorea negrosensis, Paphiopedilum ciliolare, Shorea astylosa, Medinilla magnifica, Agalmyla persimilis, Calamus ornatus var. philippinensis, Nepenthes argentii, Agathis philippinensis, and Hoya incrassata. Research data regarding these species are necessary  to understand and determine their richness and evenness, morphological characteristics, physiological responses and properties and other information that will be valuable to address and formulate the applicable conservation and protection not only of the area but of the species itself especially some of them are listed as vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered (Shorea astylosa) species. One of the remarkable discoveries found in the high altitude of Hamiguitan Range is the Nepenthes micramphora which is a new pitcher plant in the Philippines! (Amoroso & Aspiras, 2011)

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Hoya incrassata

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Nepenthes micramphora

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Philippines is considered to be one of the mega-biodiverse countries of the world, encompassing two-third's of the earth's biodiversity and 70% of the world's flora and fauna (USAID). With more than 2,700 islands and with its geographic isolation, this archipelagic country accommodates diverse habitats and 1.9% of the world's endemic plant and vertebrate species. For instance, 57% of the major floral and faunal groups only occur in the Philippines and nowhere else in the world (Aureo et al., 2020). The Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary located in the Province of Davao Oriental in Mindanao Island, in particular, covers 6,834 hectares, making it the largest fragile tropical "bonsai" forest in the country and considered it as one of the wildlife sanctuaries in the Philippines. Due to its varied ecosystem, this sanctuary showcase a large number of endemic, endangered, and rare species of flora and fauna, therefore, declared by the Conservation International as the "hotspots" requiring protection and conservation. Also, in the year 2004, in the reign of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, this spot is declared as a protected area under the category of wildlife sanctuary in the Republic Act 9303 (Amoroso & Aspiras, 2011).

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Australian Grains Genebank

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Millennium Seed Bank, United Kingdom

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Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway

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Seed Banks are facilities that house numerous seed samples from all over the world. In these facilities, seed samples are stored in low-humidity and low-temperature (-20°C) conditions in order to preserve them for future use (Gosling, 2020).

Seed Banks are essential for they...

Preserve flora genetic diversity by storing and protecting seeds that are from diverse habitats, threatened by extinction, and affected by adaptation or evolution.

Provide back-ups for plants that may be affected by natural disasters, human disturbance, and climate change. These back-ups allow the immediate recovery and restoration of damaged flora populations.

Contribute to scientific research by providing researchers with a wide-array of seed samples that are available for study. Results from research such as this can lead to the development of disease-resistant and high-yield cultivars.

(Bethany, 2017)