Abstract:Themeda triandra has bigeniculate hygroscopic lemma seed awns that twist when wet and drying, thereby transporting the caryopsis across the soil surface into suitable germination microsites. The prediction that awns would be longer in drier grassland and have greater motility to enable them to move quickly and further to find scarce germination sites was tested in KwaZulu-Natal. Awns (n = 100) were collected from 16 sites across a mean annual precipitation gradient (575-1223 mm), ranging from 271-2097 m a.s.l.… Show more
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