Germination ecology of the perennial <i>Centaurium somedanum</i>, a specialist species of mountain springs

Fernández-Pascual, Eduardo; Jíménez-Alfaro, Borja; Pérez-García, Francisco J.; Díaz, Tomás E.

doi:10.1017/s0960258512000062

Cited by 11 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…There are relatively few studies linking the germination ecology of endemic species from the Iberian Peninsula with the conservation of the species (Albert et al, 2002;Gimenez-Benavides et al, 2005;Lorite et al, 2007;Copete et al, 2011;Fernandez-Pascual et al, 2012). In most Fabaceae species, hard-seededness is the cause of the physical dormancy present in their seeds (Baskin and Baskin, 2001;Piotto and Di Noi, 2003;Zeng et al, 2005;Gresta et al, 2007;Can et al, 2009;Dittus and Muir, 2010;Kimura and Islam, 2012;Buyukkartal et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Census, reproductive biology, and germination of Astragalus gines-lopezii (Fabaceae), a narrow and endangered endemic species of SW Spain

2014

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Abstract:Astragalus gines-lopezii Talavera, Podlech, Devesa & F.M.Vazquez (Fabaceae) is a threatened endemic species with a distribution restricted to a very small area in Badajoz Province (Extremadura Region, SW Spain) and only 2 populations are known. This species was catalogued in the "Endangered" category in the 2008 Red List and the 2010 Threatened Spanish Vascular Flora List. Despite its status as an endangered species, at present very little is known about the distribution, census, and reproductive biology of this species. In this study we have carried out an exhaustive census of A. gines-lopezii, and we have evaluated the production of flowers, fruits, and seeds and the existence or not of intra-and interpopulation variability in seed germination. Results have highlighted the high reproductive capacity of this species on the basis of a high production of flowers, fruits, and seeds. Mechanical scarification of seeds was effective for increasing germination. Thus, initial germination (22%-60%) was increased to 97%-99% when seeds were rubbed with sandpapers. A high intra-and interpopulation variability in seed germination was found in this species. A. gines-lopezii produces seeds with different degrees of physical dormancy, varying this grade among different individuals within a population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Census, reproductive biology, and germination of Astragalus gines-lopezii (Fabaceae), a narrow and endangered endemic species of SW Spain

2014

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“…At dispersal, seeds of C. somedanum have non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy (Fernández-Pascual et al, 2012). The physiological component of this dormancy varies following an altitudinal cline that is related to long-term climatic differences among sites and also to neutral genetic variation .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic plasticity in seed germination relates differentially to overwintering and flowering temperatures

Fernández-Pascual

Jíménez-Alfaro²

2014

Seed Sci. Res.

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Phenotypic plasticity in seed dormancy may allow plant species to cope with rapid environmental changes, such as climate warming. In controlled experimental settings, plasticity in dormancy has been found to relate to temperature during seed maturation, but this relationship has not been tested in field conditions. Here we analyse for the first time the variation in dormancy during five successive years in wild populations of the study species Centaurium somedanum, to determine how this variation is related to average temperatures during specific seasons of plant activity. We performed laboratory germination experiments to measure: (1) the degree of dormancy at dispersal; and (2) the sensitivity to dormancybreaking factors. We calculated average temperatures during four seasons of plant activity (overwintering, vegetative growth, flowering and seed maturation) for each year, and tested the relationship between these temperatures and patterns of dormancy variation, using Generalized Linear Models. Dormancy varied among sites and years, seeds being more dormant in colder years. For the degree of dormancy at dispersal, we found a positive relationship with flowering temperature and a significant effect of collection site. For the sensitivity to dormancy-breaking factors, we found no significant differences among sites, a positive relationship with flowering temperature and a negative relationship with overwintering temperature. Phenotypic plasticity in dormancy in C. somedanum is thus especially marked in the sensitivity to dormancybreaking factors. Temperatures during overwintering and flowering have differential effects on this plasticity, allowing the plant to detect the gradient of seasonality, a main ecological feature of its distribution.These results highlight the importance of taking into account more than average temperatures when assessing the response of plant phenotypic plasticity to climate change.

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“…; Fernández‐Pascual et al . , ; Albrecht & Long ), and only a few studies have been done at the community level (Grime et al . ; Shipley & Parent ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, some researchers argued that species from different kinds of wetlands usually have different germination niches. Thus, generally species from surface water-driven wetlands with distinct seasonal flooding regimes are most likely to have TWGR, whereas those that grow in permanently saturated wetlands can germinate well at cool temperatures (Fern andez-Pascual et al 2012Albrecht & Long 2014). Furthermore, the germination requirements of wetland species usually are affected by climate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there is a growing list of studies on the germination niche of species in many kinds of wetlands, only a few of them have focused on wetlands on the Tibet Plateau, where the environment is harsh for plants. In addition, most studies on the germination ecology of wetland species have been done at the species level and on one or a few species (Baskin et al 1989;Fern andez-Pascual et al 2012Albrecht & Long 2014), and only a few studies have been done at the community level (Grime et al 1981;Shipley & Parent 1991). However, studies at the community level contribute to understanding differentiation of the germination niche in relation to community composition, whereas those at the individual species level do not.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Linking seed germination and plant height: a case study of a wetland community on the eastern Tibet Plateau

Liu

Cao

et al. 2018

Plant Biol J

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Seed germination is the earliest trait expressed in a plant's life history, and it can directly affect the expression of post-germination traits. Plant height is central to plant ecological strategies, because it is a major determinant of the ability of a species to compete for light. Thus, linking seed germination and plant height at the community level is very important to understanding plant fitness and community structure. Here, we tested storage condition and temperature requirements for germination of 31 species from a wetland plant community on the eastern Tibet Plateau and analysed correlation of germination traits with plant height in relation to storage condition. Germination percentage was positively related to plant height, and this relationship disappeared when seeds were incubated at a low temperature (i.e. 5 °C) or after they were stored under wet-cold conditions. The response of seeds to dry+wet-cold storage was negatively related to plant height. Based on the scores of each species on the first two principal components derived from PCA, species were classified into two categories by hierarchical clustering, and there was a significant difference between germination and plant height of species in these two categories. These results suggest that the requirements for seed germination together with seasonal change in environmental conditions determine the window for germination and, in turn, plant growth season and resource utilisation and ultimately plant height.

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Germination ecology of the perennial Centaurium somedanum, a specialist species of mountain springs

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

Census, reproductive biology, and germination of Astragalus gines-lopezii (Fabaceae), a narrow and endangered endemic species of SW Spain

Census, reproductive biology, and germination of Astragalus gines-lopezii (Fabaceae), a narrow and endangered endemic species of SW Spain

Phenotypic plasticity in seed germination relates differentially to overwintering and flowering temperatures

Linking seed germination and plant height: a case study of a wetland community on the eastern Tibet Plateau

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