Citation
Bet hedging in a guild of desert annuals
TL;DR
Confirmed bet-hedging in natural desert annual communities
Empirical demonstration of bet-hedging through seed dormancy in actual desert annual plant communities. Venable's long-term field study confirmed theoretical predictions that desert annuals maintain seed banks as insurance against unpredictable drought years.
Key Findings from Venable (2007)
- Confirmed bet-hedging in natural desert annual communities
- Seed dormancy patterns match theoretical predictions
- Long-term persistence depends on maintaining seed banks