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

Eberhart, A.; Tielbӧrger, Katja

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.08.009

Cited by 14 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The three species had relatively high viability, ranging (not significantly) among sites and years: Biscutella 81–98%, Bromus 62–96% and Hymenocarpos 92–100%. We took this and very similar data from parallel studies (Lampei and Tielbörger 2010, Eberhart and Tielbörger 2011) as highly suggestive evidence that seeds that did not germinate were dormant and not dead.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…This may have caused maternal effects in the dry populations with large seed families from the greenhouse having higher dormancy. However, a parallel study demonstrated that this explanation is unlikely as maternal fecundity and offspring germination fractions are uncorrelated in our species (Eberhart and Tielbörger 2011). We therefore have no explanation for the quantitative differences in germination fractions between field collected and F1 seeds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Results from previous experiments and viability tests indicated that seeds which did not germinate in the first year were alive and dormant. Since seeds derived from hand or self pollination are highly viable (between 93% and 100%, Lampei and Tielbörger 2010, Eberhart and Tielbörger 2011), we estimated germination fractions for each pot as the number of emerging seedlings divided by the number of sown seeds.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bet‐hedging germination in annual plants: a sound empirical test of the theoretical foundations

Tielbӧrger

Petruů

Lampei

2012

Oikos

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Seed dormancy is thought to be a key mechanism allowing annual plants to spread extinction risk in unpredictably varying environments. Theory predicts increasing germination fractions with increasing probability of reproductive success but solid empirical evidence is scarce and often confounded with environmental factors. Here we provide an empirical test of bet‐hedging via delayed germination for three annual plant species along a ‘predictability gradient’ in Israel. We excluded confounding environmental and maternal effects by raising inbred seed families and germinating them under controlled conditions. Additionally, we germinated field‐collected seeds in three consecutive seasons to compare their germination with inbred families where maternal effects were removed. Risk of reproductive failure was quantified using demographic data from the field and from second‐generation inbred lines raised in a rainfall gradient in the greenhouse. Our findings were consistent with bet‐hedging theory in that germination fraction was negatively related to species‐ and site‐specific risk of reproductive failure. Both field and hand‐raised seeds of one species exhibited higher dormancy with increasing risk of reproductive failure across sites, and hand‐raised seeds of another species showed the same pattern. The third species exhibited a rather random pattern of germination between years and sites, corresponding to the lack of site‐specific risk of reproductive failure. Species‐specific patterns of dormancy and risk could be related to alternative risk‐spreading strategies such as high adult survival, but were also affected by phylogeny. We provide strong empirical evidence for seed dormancy being a mechanism to reduce the risk of reproductive failure in highly variable environments, but a larger number of rigorous experimental tests of bet hedging germination are needed. Specifically, the genetic basis of bet‐hedging must be shown in species with different life histories, for demonstrating that dormancy is adaptive and how it is modified by other risk‐spreading traits.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bet‐hedging germination in annual plants: a sound empirical test of the theoretical foundations

Tielbӧrger

Petruů

Lampei

2012

Oikos

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“…But despite these observations, direct experimental manipulation has yet to provide clear support for any sibling interaction hypothesis (Einum & Fleming, 1999; Table 2 in Tamate & Maekawa (2000)]. Lalonde, 2005;Takahashi, Makino & Sakai, 2005;Plaistow, Lapsley & Benton, 2006;Plaistow et al, 2007;Rollinson & Hutchings, 2010;Eberhart & Tielbörger, 2012), or hypotheses invoking maternal influences on w(I ) that are independent of sibling interactions (Rollinson & Hutchings, 2011;Louhi et al, 2015). ), each data point is a unique species [redrawn from Closs et al (2013)].…”

Section: Maternal Size Affects the Relationship Between I And Offmentioning

confidence: 99%

The positive correlation between maternal size and offspring size: fitting pieces of a life‐history puzzle

Rollinson

Rowe

2015

Biological Reviews

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The evolution of investment per offspring (I) is often viewed through the lens of the classic theory, in which variation among individuals in a population is not expected. A substantial departure from this prediction arises in the form of correlations between maternal body size and I, which are observed within populations in virtually all taxonomic groups. Based on the generality of this observation, we suggest it is caused by a common underlying mechanism. We pursue a unifying explanation for this pattern by reviewing all theoretical models that attempt to explain it. We assess the generality of the mechanism upon which each model is based, and the extent to which data support its predictions. Two classes of adaptive models are identified: models that assume that the correlation arises from maternal influences on the relationship between I and offspring fitness [w(I)], and those that assume that maternal size influences the relationship between I and maternal fitness [W(I)]. The weight of evidence suggests that maternal influences on w(I) are probably not very general, and even for taxa where maternal influences on w(I) are likely, experiments fail to support model predictions. Models that assume that W(I) varies with maternal size appear to offer more generality, but the current challenge is to identify a specific and general mechanism upon which W(I) varies predictably with maternal size. Recent theory suggests the exciting possibility that a yet unknown mechanism modifies the offspring size-number trade-off function in a manner that is predictable with respect to maternal size, such that W(I) varies with size. We identify two promising avenues of inquiry. First, the trade-off might be modified by energetic costs that are associated with the initiation of reproduction ('overhead costs') and that scale with I, and future work could investigate what specific overhead costs are generally associated with reproduction and whether these costs scale with I. Second, the trade-off might be modified by virtue of condition-dependent offspring provisioning coupled with metabolic factors, and future work could investigate the proximate cause of, and generality of, condition-dependent offspring provisioning. Finally, drawing on the existing literature, we suggest that maternal size per se is not causatively related to variation in I, and the mechanism involved in the correlation is instead linked to maternal nutritional status or maternal condition, which is usually correlated with maternal size. Using manipulative experiments to elucidate why females with high nutritional status typically produce large offspring might help explain what specific mechanism underlies the maternal-size correlation.

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“…Thus, ascertaining how seed dormancy is determined by – and responds to – local environmental signals is crucial to understand how this trait affects other plant life stages (de Casas et al . ; Eberhart & Tielbörger ; Toorop et al . ), and if plant regeneration will be influenced by environmental changes (Walck et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local climate explains degree of seed dormancy in Hypericum elodes L. (Hypericaceae)

et al. 2015

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Seed dormancy and germination characteristics may vary within species in response to several factors. Knowledge of such variation is crucial to understand plant evolution and adaptation to environmental changes. We examined the correlation of climate and population genetic differentiation (ISSR) with primary seed dormancy and germination behaviour in populations of the Atlantic-European soft-water pool specialist Hypericum elodes. Primary dormancy was measured by analysing seed germination response of fresh seeds and after various periods of cold stratification. Laboratory germination experiments revealed that the single most important factor for promoting germination was cold stratification prior to placing at the germination temperature. However, in agreement with their weaker primary dormancy, the seeds germinated well when fresh, and the benefit of cold stratification was more relaxed for the southern populations. Seeds of all populations demonstrated a near absolute requirement for a light and alternating temperature regime in order to germinate. The promoting effect of alternating temperatures was particularly effective at warm temperatures (mean 20 °C) but not at cool temperatures. Whilst seed germination requirements were similar among populations, the degree of primary dormancy varied considerably and was not associated with population genetic differentiation. Primary dormancy degree was instead associated with local climate: higher temperature in summer and rainfall in winter predicted weak and rapid loss of dormancy. These results suggest that seed maturation environment may play a substantial role in explaining the degree of dormancy in H. elodes, highlighting that physiological dormancy can be modulated by local climate.

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

Cited by 14 publications

References 38 publications

Bet‐hedging germination in annual plants: a sound empirical test of the theoretical foundations

Bet‐hedging germination in annual plants: a sound empirical test of the theoretical foundations

The positive correlation between maternal size and offspring size: fitting pieces of a life‐history puzzle

Local climate explains degree of seed dormancy in Hypericum elodes L. (Hypericaceae)

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