An experimental test for effects of the maternal environment on delayed germination

Tielbӧrger, Katja; Petrů, Martina

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2745.2010.01682.x

Cited by 35 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(97 reference statements)

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“…We could even observe differences in leaf stoichiometry and growth rates for G. tinctoria offspring throughout the first year. Our results further indicate that community composition and species richness trigger transgenerational effects, which adds on previous studies showing effects of community density or productivity on offspring germination and performance (Tielbörger & Petrů ; Heger et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…In consequence, such community shifts result in changes in the competitive environment of species, which might affect offspring performance. Offspring originating from dense and productive communities with high competition intensity revealed reduced germination (Tielbörger & Petrů ) and growth (Heger et al . ), but higher phenotypic plasticity (Heger et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transgenerational effects of extreme weather: perennial plant offspring show modified germination, growth and stoichiometry

et al. 2016

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Summary Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events. These changes will directly affect plant individuals and populations and thus modify plant community composition. Little is known, however, about transgenerational effects (i.e. the influence of the parental environment on offspring phenotype and performance beyond the effects of transmitted genes) of climate extremes and community composition. Perennial plants have been particularly neglected. This impedes projections on species adaptations and population dynamics under climate change. Maternal plants of two widespread dwarf‐shrub species (Genista tinctoria and Calluna vulgaris) recurrently experienced extreme weather event manipulations each year (drought and heavy rain). To test for transgenerational effects of community composition, C. vulgaris maternal plants were grown in communities differing in the number of neighbouring species. After 6 years, seeds of maternal plants were collected at least 2 months after the final weather treatments. We assessed transgenerational effects of the extreme events and of altered community composition on germination and monitored the development of offspring over 2 years. We show that extreme events experienced by maternal plants influence offspring germination and growth beyond the seedling stage. Seeds produced by maternal plants experiencing stress, indicated by increased tissue dieback, germinated earlier in both observed species. We observed differences in leaf stoichiometry and growth rates for G. tinctoria offspring throughout the first year: Offspring from heavy rain‐treated mothers showed reduced leaf C:N ratio and higher growth rates. Results further indicate that not only community density, as investigated in prior studies, but also community composition trigger transgenerational effects. Synthesis. Our findings show that variation in the maternal environment not only affects the number, but also the performance of offspring. Extreme climatic events, terminated before seed set, induce transgenerational effects. Species richness of mother communities can affect the stress level of target species and thereby germination regardless of community density. In contrast to prior studies, which revealed direct effects of chronic stress on plant individuals, this study emphasizes the importance of addressing transgenerational effects of extreme weather events when projecting future ecological responses and adaptation to climate change.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transgenerational effects of extreme weather: perennial plant offspring show modified germination, growth and stoichiometry

et al. 2016

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“…This was not significant after correcting for false discovery rate. Additional support for Tielbörger and Valleriani's (2005) model was found in a field (Tielbörger and Petr u, 2010) and greenhouse (Lampei and Tielbörger, 2010) experiment with our focal species where seeds from field populations of Biscutella and/or Bromus grown under dry conditions had lower dormancy than seeds from populations grown under favourable conditions. At a first glance, these findings contradict our results of no relationship between seed family size and germination fraction, because plants grown under good conditions should produce more seeds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Maternal fecundity does not affect offspring germination – An empirical test of the sibling competition hypothesis

Eberhart¹,

Tielbӧrger²

2012

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…To avoid confounding with numerous factors that control germination in the field (e.g., soil type, temperature, pH, salinity; see Tielbörger and Petrü 2010), we carried out germination trials in a climate chambers at the Hubei University in Wuhan, China, from 26 March 2012 to 13 June 2012 in the laboratory. Before the germination experiment, the seeds were allowed to air-dry to a constant mass at room temperature.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2005; Donohue 2009; Figueroa et al. 2010; Tielbörger and Petrü 2010; Cendán et al. 2013) and germination phenology (Lacey 1996; Cendán et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed weight and germination behavior of the submerged plant Potamogeton pectinatus in the arid zone of northwest China

Yang

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Variation in seed weight is common within and among plant species, but few studies have attempted to document the pattern of seed weight and germination attributes for aquatic macrophytes at a large scale. This study examined within-species variation in seed weight and germination attributes and the effects of environmental factors on seed traits of the submerged plant Potamogeton pectinatus in the arid zone of northwest China. Our results showed that the average seed weight was 0.24 g per 100 seeds with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 28.4% among the eight P. pectinatus populations. The total germination fraction of seeds of P. pectinatus was relatively poor, less than 35% in seven P. pectinatus populations, and the lowest germination percentage found was only 2%. There were significant differences in seed weight, time to onset of germination, and total germination fraction among the eight different populations. Hierarchical partitioning analysis showed a strongly positive correlation between seed weight and water temperature and pH. Seed weight and the maternal environmental factors significantly affected both time to initiation of germination and total germination fraction. Our results suggest that (1) seed weight variation in P. pectinatus primarily is the result of temperature variation during fruit development; (2) relatively poor germination fraction suggests that seeds are relatively unimportant in the short-term survival of populations and that it may be another adaptive trait allowing plants to take place in the right place and at the right time, especially in harsh environment; and (3) variation in seed germination traits should be determined by local environmental and intrinsic factors that interact in a complex fashion.

show abstract

An experimental test for effects of the maternal environment on delayed germination

Cited by 35 publications

References 39 publications

Transgenerational effects of extreme weather: perennial plant offspring show modified germination, growth and stoichiometry

Transgenerational effects of extreme weather: perennial plant offspring show modified germination, growth and stoichiometry

Maternal fecundity does not affect offspring germination – An empirical test of the sibling competition hypothesis

Seed weight and germination behavior of the submerged plant Potamogeton pectinatus in the arid zone of northwest China

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