Interpopulation variation in seed germination of five Mediterranean Labiatae shrubby species

Pérez-García, Francisco J.; Hornero, Javier; González‐Benito, M. Elena

doi:10.1560/2yab-37ul-70qv-lmft

Cited by 39 publications

(33 citation statements)

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“…However, this does not rule out the possibility that such differences are caused by the different environment characteristics (soil, rainfall, temperature) of the three populations (Gutterman, 1992). Therefore, we agree with other authors (such as Qaderi and Cavers, 2002;Pe´rez-Garcı´a et al, 2003) that studies of seed germination from a single population of a species must be interpreted with caution since other populations probably have a different germination capacity. On the other hand, seeds collected from various individuals of the same population also display differences in seed germinability, which supports the idea that the genotype of the individuals also has an important influence on seed germination.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Germination variability and the effect of various pre-treatment on germination in the perennial spurge Euphorbia nicaeensis All.

Narbona

Ortiz

Arista

2006

Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Germination variability and the effect of various pre-treatment on germination in the perennial spurge Euphorbia nicaeensis All.

Narbona

Ortiz

Arista

2006

Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

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“…4) has previously been observed in other species (e.g. Fenner 1991;Beckstead et al 1996;Pérez-García et al 2003). These differences can arise from both environmental variations during seed maturation and genetic factors (Meyer et al 1989).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Seed germination ecology of the threatened endemic Iberian Delphinium fissum subsp. sordidum (Ranunculaceae)

2010

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Seeds of Delphinium fissum subsp. sordidum are physiologically dormant at maturity, with underdeveloped embryos; thus they have morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). The aims of this study were to determine the requirements for embryo growth, dormancy break and germination, to characterise the type of seed dormancy and to evaluate the effects of light, seed age, pollination mechanism, and inter-annual and inter-population variability on germinative ability. After 3 months of incubation at 5°C (cold stratification) in darkness conditions, the mean embryo length increased from 5.6 to 2.07 mm, with 76% of seeds germinating. Conversely, embryos of seeds incubated during 3 months at 20/7 or 28/14°C hardly grew and no germination was recorded. Since cold stratification was the only requirement for the loss of MPD, and both dry storage in laboratory conditions and warm stratification prior to cold stratification shortened the cold stratification period required for germination, it could be concluded that D. fissum subsp. sordidum seeds have intermediate complex MPD. Cold stratification and incubation in darkness conditions promoted higher germination percentages than those in light. In addition, germinative ability increased with seed age up to 8 months (reaching 96% at 5°C in darkness), showed a pronounced inter-annual and inter-population variability, as well as a significant decrease in seeds coming from pollination by geitonogamy. High temperatures (25/10 or 28/14°C) induced seeds to secondary dormancy, so seedling emergence in the greenhouse was restricted to February-March. The requirements for dormancy break and germination reflect an adaptation to trigger germination in late winter. This study is the first one to document a gradual increase in germination percentage with seed age for plant species with intermediate complex MPD.

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“…Previous studies suggested that seed size, seed dormancy (Cruz et al 2003;Pérez-García et al 2003) and germination stimulation in response to heat and smoke (Tieu et al 2001;Cruz et al 2003) are regeneration traits that exhibit intraspeciWc variability between populations at the local scale. However, no studies have been performed at a wider geographic scale (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local versus regional intraspecific variability in regeneration traits

2011

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Intraspecific trait variability has a fundamental contribution to the overall trait variability. However, little is known concerning the relative role of local (e.g. disturbances and species interaction) and regional (biogeographical) processes in generating this intraspecific trait variability. While biogeographical processes enhance plant trait variability between distant populations, in fire-prone ecosystems, recurrent fires may have a preponderant role in generating variability at a local scale. We hypothesize that plants respond to the local spatio-temporal heterogeneity generated by fire by having a relatively large local variability in regeneration traits in such a way that overrides the variability at a broader biogeographical scale. We test this hypothesis by assessing the intraspecific variability in fire-related regeneration traits of two species (Cistus salviifolius and Lavandula stoechas) growing in fire-prone ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin. For each species, we selected six populations in two distant regions, three in the east (Anatolian Peninsula) and three in the west (Iberian Peninsula). For each species and population, we analysed the following regeneration traits: seed size, seed dormancy and stimulated germination by fire-related cues (heat and smoke). To evaluate the distribution of the variability in these traits, we decomposed the variability of trait values at each level, between regions (regional) and between population within region (local), using linear mixed-effect models. Despite the biogeographical and climatic differences between regions, for the two species, intraspecific variability in regeneration traits was higher at a local (within regions) than at a regional scale (between regions). Our results suggest that, in Mediterranean ecosystems, fire is an important source of intraspecific variability in regeneration traits. This supports the prominent role of fire as an ecological and evolutionary process, producing trait variability and shaping biodiversity in fire-prone ecosystems.

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Interpopulation variation in seed germination of five Mediterranean Labiatae shrubby species

Cited by 39 publications

References 0 publications

Germination variability and the effect of various pre-treatment on germination in the perennial spurge Euphorbia nicaeensis All.

Germination variability and the effect of various pre-treatment on germination in the perennial spurge Euphorbia nicaeensis All.

Seed germination ecology of the threatened endemic Iberian Delphinium fissum subsp. sordidum (Ranunculaceae)

Local versus regional intraspecific variability in regeneration traits

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