Is it possible for plant seeds or spores to become trapped during
the formation of porous volcanic rock, I think basalt, survive for
hundreds or thousands of years to germinate after excavation and exposure
to water and sunlight? The reason I ask is that my dads cousin in Oregon
built a stone fence out of this type of rock and after about a month
vegetation began to sprout from the rocks.
Of course it is possible that seeds may have landed there after the
fence was built and decided it was a good place to grow. I have tried to
duplicate this for my science fair project and could not duplicate. What
do y'all think?
Cristian
Dear Cristian,
I think you need the Ask a Biologist homepage. Never say never. Usually
the plants immediately beneath a flow are burned completely. I don't
know if this would damage the seeds too much to prevent growth at some
later time. I think your idea about the seeds coming in later is
probably correct. Strange you could not duplicate the original
conditions. Guess you have to go back to the lab. Keep us posted.
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
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