Case Study: The Seed that Slept for a Thousand Years Answer the following questi

Question

Case Study: The Seed that Slept for a Thousand Years Answer the following questions based on the reading “The seed that slept for 1,200 years” on page 144 in your textbook and your own research and use in text citations and refence for all in text citations. You may use as much room as you need to answer each question. Provide citations for each answer and a reference list at the end of the assignment.

1)Describe the difference between a dead seed and a dormant seed

2)The Oriental sacred Lotus seed in this article is remarkable because it was able to germinate after 1,200 years. What does it mean when a seed germinates?

3)What factors are needed for germination?

4)What was it about the environment that the seed was stored in for centuries that allowed it to stay dormant for so long?

5)What is scarification?

6)Why would a seed need to be scarified? What could be a possible evolutionary advantage to this adaptation?

(page 144 of book) The Seed That Slept for 1,200 Years Rip Van Winkle would appreciate this. An Oriental Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) seed collected from the sediment of a dry lake bottom near a small village in northeastern China has germinated after being dormant for over 1,200 years. It is one of the oldest living seeds ever found. The Beijing Institute of Botany donated Sacred Lotus seeds to a team of UCLA scientists, who dated the seeds with a nondestructive method called accelerator mass spectroscopy. Small amounts of tissue (less than 10 milligrams) were sampled for radiocarbon dating prior to germination studies. Before the use of this newer dating method, whole seeds had to be destroyed in the process of dating, thereby eliminating the possibility of testing the seeds for viability. After lying dormant in a bed of black clay at depths of 0.5 to 2.8 meters (1.5 to 9 feet), the germinated 1,200-year-old seed (1,288 ± 271 years) was the oldest, but not the only, survivor from the subterranean tomb. Three other ancient lotus seeds found at various depths germinated, and the UCLA team determined that one was more than 600 years old and another was more than 300. While reports have claimed seed germination of more ancient seeds recovered from dry archaeological sites in Egypt (such as King Tut’s tomb in the pyramids of Giza and from the tombs of other pharaohs), experts now agree that these reports are unreliable. Apart from these lotus seeds, the oldest documented viable seeds are lupine seeds that were frozen in Arctic tundra and seeds from Professor Beal’s germination study (see text section “Longevity”). These Sacred Lotus seeds have managed to ward off the ravages of time. Existing in an impenetrable seed coat and mired in an oxygen-deficient mud, the seeds have intact genetic and enzymatic systems that reactivated when the seeds were split open and soaked in water. (Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the cell.) A key enzyme that repairs proteins was present during germination; this enzyme has been found in similar quantities in modern-day Sacred Lotus seeds. The repair enzyme functions in converting damaged amino acids back to their naturally occurring functional form. This is especially important in “repairing” the proteins of the cell membrane. Without intact membranes, cells are not able to function, and such damage will lead to the death of the cell and eventually the organism. The architecture of the fruit no doubt plays a key role in the longevity of these seeds. The fruits (also called pods) of the Sacred Lotus (Box Figure 8.3) are round to oblong, 10 to 13 centimeters (4 to 5 inches) long, and 8 to 10 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) in diameter, and each contains a single seed. The fruit wall, or pericarp, which is impervious to water and airtight, is initially green and turns purplish brown and becomes dry and notably hard. Chinese botanists who first investigated similar ancient lotus seeds collected from the same deposits were unable to get them to germinate, even after 20 months of soaking in water. It wasn’t until they scarified (filed open to permit water absorption) the seeds, as prescribed in a 1,400-year-old Chinese manuscript Ch’i Min Yao Su (Important Technology for People in Harmony), that they were ultimately successful in germinating the seeds. The hard, airtight fruit walls are the most significant of the structural features that contribute to the exceptional longevity of the seeds. The Sacred Lotus was introduced to China following the introduction of Buddhism from India in the 1st century B.C. It is regarded as a symbol of purity and strength, emerging from the mire of lake waters and opening its crimson flowers to the heavens. The earliest dated depiction of Buddha (in A.D. 240) shows him surrounded with a halo and seated cross-legged on a lotus throne. From old Chinese manuscripts, we learn that lotus has been cultivated as a crop plant (most parts are edible) for the past 4,000 years and traditional Chinese herbal medicine considered the Sacred Lotus a mainstay of its pharmaceutical collections. The large number of lotus seeds collected from the site suggests that the plant was under cultivation in this now dried-up lotus lake. It is likely that the 1,200-year-old seed was derived from a plant cultivated by Buddhists at this site in northeastern China. Unlike Rip Van Winkle, who, following a drink of liquor, slept for only 20 years, these Sacred Lotus seeds are remarkable in their capacity to revive after more than 1,000 years. Lessons learned from these plants can shape our thinking about our own aging and the possibilities that may exist in the future for extending life at the margins. Box Figure 8.3 (a) Green lotus fruit (also referred to as a “pod”) before drying. (b) Dried lotus pod showing seeds.

Explanation / Answer

Ans 1) A dead seed is one which is not able to germinate no matter how much favorable condition is provided to it. The enzymes, metabolic functions, genes, DNA etc. everything is dead inside. It is not able to grow again as it does not have life. The dormant seeds are those which are able to germinate when it is given a favorable condition. It is not able to germinate for a specific amount of time. In this case it is seen that the seeds are present inside safe seed coat and have the genetic and enzymatic systems reactivated when it is given favorable growth condition which is done majorly by soaking in water.

Ans 2) It is a process when a plant grows from a seed. The seeds are able to produce a new plant when it gets the required condition for growth. It requires good condition like sunlight, nutrients, temperature, water etc. for germination process to take place.

Ans 3) Factors needed for Germination:-

Water – This is one of the major factors that is needed for germination of a dormant or a normal seed. The seeds need to rehydrated for its active mechanism and require around 75 to 90% of water.

Oxygen – It is the next important as it is required for the respiration for the seeds and helps in the process of active germination.

Temperature – A moderate temperature is needed for optimum germination because if the temperature is too high or low, it will not allow the germination to take place.

Ans 4) The reason that the seed was kept inside impenetrable seed coat along with it being in an oxygen deficient mud is one of the reasons for the same. The enzymatic activity was regained as soon as it was soaked in the water.

Ans 5) Scarfication is a process which helps in controlling the germination of the seed with uniformity. It involves weakening and opening the seed coat so that the germination takes place. It can be done by mechanical, chemical and thermal process.

Ans 6) The seed needs scarification so that the enzymes can be activated and it enhances the rate of germination.

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