Hi Megan, I suggest the paper of Susan Kalisz, "Experimental determination of seed bank age structure in the winter annual Collinsia verna", which was extremely helpful to me in my research. Screen mesh basket or seed cages method is quite time-consuming and labor requiring, so I also suggest detailed consideration (number of seeds, ages of seed, depth, and replications etc.)of experimental design which of course depends on not only what you want to estimate but also species (rare-limited seed amount, annual/perennial) you work.
Good Luck! Yasemin Ergüner Baytok, METU,Turkey -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Megan Van Etten Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 7:06 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Field germination trials I need ideas about how to plant seeds into a natural setting to estimate natural germination rates. The seeds have to be planted individually and must stay in the same position through the winter and into the spring. They will be planted in the South East where we (usually) get substantial rain throughout the year. I would be grateful for any ideas about how to keep the seeds stationary throughout the winter. Thanks, Megan Van Etten [EMAIL PROTECTED]
