Cotyledon loss and its effects on survival and growth of &lt;I&gt;Quercus wutaishanica&lt;/I&gt; seedlings under different densities

Yan, Xiaojing; Li-biao, Zhou; KaoWen, Zhang; Zhou, Ying

doi:10.3724/sp.j.1258.2012.00831

Cited by 5 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In this study, we present further evidence that animals actively participate in pruning the germinating acorns of Q. variabilis. These results seem to challenge the previous prediction that the early germinating acorns of white oak species escape predation by reducing the acorn's attractiveness to predators, 13,19 suggesting that other mechanisms may help white oaks escape predation by animals. No difference in the dry masses of the pruned cotyledons at different germination stages can still lead to a high level of animals' predation on the cotyledons of germinating acorns.…”

Section: Textcontrasting

confidence: 86%

“…13 The rapid accumulation of antinutritional tannins in the cotyledons and radicles after germination is expected to counter seedling predation by animals because seedling predation is very common for early-stage development of oak seedlings. 8,16,19 We observe successful regeneration of pruned radicles into normal seedlings both in the lab and the field. Therefore, after the cotyledons of the acorn were excised by the food-hoarding animals, the taproots left behind can grow into seedlings even without the benefit of the food reserves in the cotyledons that has consumed.…”

Section: Textmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…In fact, the cotyledons of the germinated acorns of most white oak species still contain substantial nutritional reserves attracting seed predators, 16 consequently increasing the probability of seedling predation by animals. 2,8,[17][18][19] These biotic factors cause substantial damage to acorns or seedlings of white oaks. 18,20 Despite suffering from high levels of acorn and seedling predation, white oaks dominate many of the temperate forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere and show profound influences on the distribution and biodiversity of communities as well as entire ecosystems.…”

Section: Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

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One acorn produces two seedlings in Chinese cork oak Quercus variabilis

Xiang

2019

Plant Signaling & Behavior

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Although the early germination of white oaks has long been considered an adaptation to counter animal predation, the role of the robust radicles of white oak acorns has been largely neglected in the interaction between acorns and seed-eating animals. Here, the regeneration capabilities of the pruned radicles of intermediate oak Quercus variabilis left by the acorn-eating animals were compared to test the 'one acorn produce two seedlings' hypothesis stating that the remnant radicles exhibit the capability to produce normal seedlings owning to their atypical nutritional and anatomical characteristics. Our results first showed that both pruned radicle and cotyledons from single acorn successfully established seedlings, providing strong evidence on an old puzzle that the robust radicles of early-germinating oak acorns act as reserved propagules, allowing them to escape animals' predation. Our study also suggests that much of the investment in the food reserves of an acorn may be important as a food reward for the animals that disperse the acorns, rather than simply serving as energy for the young seedling.

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Section: Textcontrasting

confidence: 86%

Section: Textmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

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One acorn produces two seedlings in Chinese cork oak Quercus variabilis

Xiang

2019

Plant Signaling & Behavior

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“…Previous studies have found that Liaodong oak large seeds are more likely to be eaten after removal and scatter-hoarded, and that their dispersal distance is farther [ 17 ]. Yan et al [ 18 ] indicated the cotyledon retention rate of high-density Liaodong oak annual seedlings was significantly lower than that of low-density seedlings under rodent predation pressure, that is, the strong olfactory information of dense seedling cotyledons can affect the search and hoarding behavior of rodents. This has an impact on seed and seedling fate and population regeneration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Seed Size and Cache Density on the Seed Fate of Quercus wutaishanica Mediated by Rodents

Cheng,

Zhang,

Yan

2024

Life

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Animal-mediated seed dispersal is very important for plant population regeneration and the stability of forest ecosystems. Seed size and cache density are important factors for seed dispersal, but we still know little about seed size selection at different cache densities. Here, we conducted field experiments in a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in the Liupan Mountains in Ningxia province to investigate the effects of tag-marked Quercus wutaishanica seeds of different sizes and cache densities on predation and the scatter-hoarding behavior of rodents. The results showed lower proportions of intact in situ (IIS) and eaten in situ (EIS) large seeds than small seeds at all levels of cache density, with the exception of IIS seeds at a 6.25 seed·m−2 cache density. A higher proportion of small seeds were eaten after removal (EAR), but a higher proportion of large seeds were scatter-hoarded (SH) by rodents at most cache densities. Furthermore, rodents preferentially removed large seeds farther away for eating or scatter-hoarding. The IIS and EIS proportions of both large and small seeds declined, but the proportion of the two types of seeds that were EAR fluctuated, increasing with increasing cache density. Rodents preferred to increase the proportion of scatter-hoarding of large seeds with increasing cache density, whereas the proportion of scatter-hoarding of small seeds was maximized at a cache density of 6.25 seed·m−2. Both the eaten distance after removal (EDAR) and scatter-hoarded distance (SHD) increased with increasing cache density. These results suggest that large seeds are more likely to be scatter-hoarded and removed to longer distances than small ones. Rodents tended to reduce the seed proportion of EIS seeds and increased the proportion of seeds EAR and SH, and accordingly increased EDAR and SHD with increasing cache density. This study provides some scientific basis for animal-mediated seed dispersal.

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“…It has also been reported that a slight loss of cotyledons has no significant effect on the growth of their seedlings [9], as a large number of nutrients have been transferred and stored in the main roots during cotyledon growth [1]. However, most of these studies have focused on the effect of cotyledon loss at the seed stage on germination rate and seedling growth [9][10][11], and the effect of the degree of cotyledon loss on seedling growth in the early seedling establishment is largely unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Seedling Growth Characteristics to Seed Size and Cotyledon Damage in Quercus wutaishanica

Luo,

Zhang,

Yan

et al. 2023

Forests

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The successful establishment of seedlings is very important for plant regeneration, but it is vulnerable to many factors at this stage. Cotyledon damage will directly affect the health of seedlings, thus affecting the regeneration of the plant population. However, little is known about the effects of different cotyledon loss degrees of large and small seeds on seedling growth. We investigated the effects of 1/4 (light excision), 1/2 (moderate excision), and complete excision of cotyledons (heavy excision) on the growth characteristics of seedlings germinating from different sizes of seeds. The results showed that (1) shoot height, basal stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area per plant, specific leaf area, and biomass were significantly higher in large-seeded seedlings than in small-seeded seedlings; (2) slight cotyledon excision had no effect on the biomass of large-seeded seedlings but significantly reduced the biomass of small-seeded seedlings. Our study highlights that large-seeded seedlings are more tolerant than small-seeded seedlings in the early seedling recruitment, suggesting that large-seeded seedlings have a strong fitness for recruitment in young populations of Q. wutaishanica.

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Cotyledon loss and its effects on survival and growth of <I>Quercus wutaishanica</I> seedlings under different densities

Cited by 5 publications

References 15 publications

One acorn produces two seedlings in Chinese cork oak Quercus variabilis

One acorn produces two seedlings in Chinese cork oak Quercus variabilis

Effects of Seed Size and Cache Density on the Seed Fate of Quercus wutaishanica Mediated by Rodents

Response of Seedling Growth Characteristics to Seed Size and Cotyledon Damage in Quercus wutaishanica

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