Phylogeny, Seed Trait, and Ecological Correlates of Seed Germination at the Community Level in a Degraded Sandy Grassland

Abstract

Seed germination strongly affects plant population growth and persistence, and it can be dramatically influenced by phylogeny, seed traits, and ecological factors. In this study, we examined the relationships among seed mass, seed shape, and germination percentage (GP), and assessed the extent to which phylogeny, seed traits (seed mass, shape, and color) and ecological factors (ecotype, life form, adult longevity, dispersal type, and onset of flowering) influence GP at the community level. All analyses were conducted on the log-transformed values of seed mass and arcsine square root-transformed values of GP. We found that seed mass and GP were significantly negatively correlated, whereas seed shape and GP were significantly positively correlated. The three major factors contributing to differences in GP were phylogeny, dispersal type, and seed shape (explained 5.8, 4.9, and 3.1% of the interspecific variations independently, respectively), but GP also influenced by seed mass and onset of flowering. Thus, GP was constrained not only by phylogeny but also by seed traits and ecological factors. These results indicated that GP is shaped by short-term selective pressures, and long-term phylogenetic constrains. We suggest that correlates of phylogeny, seed traits, and ecology should be taken into account in comparative studies on seed germination strategies.

Temperature and storage time strongly affect the germination success of perennial Euphorbia species in Mediterranean regions

“…pl., Euphorbia humifusa and Solanum nigrum Wang et al, 2016). pl., Euphorbia humifusa and Solanum nigrum Wang et al, 2016).…”

“…Morphological traits, such as seed size, seed mass, seed shape, and seed dispersal, can also play a role in seed germination behavior as shown, for example, in Verbascum sp. pl., Euphorbia humifusa and Solanum nigrum Wang et al, 2016).…”

Cracking the case: Seed traits and phylogeny predict time to germination in prairie restoration species

“…Seed shape has been linked to germination, with elongated seeds germinating more rapidly than rounded seeds (Bu et al., ; Grime, Mason, Curtis, Rodman, & Band, ). In some cases, seed shape has been a stronger predictor of germination than seed mass (Wang et al., ). In addition, seed shape is predictive of persistence in soil seed banks, with rounder seeds lasting longer than flat or pointed seeds (Thompson, Brand, & Hodgson, ).…”

Plant attributes and their relationship to the germination response to different temperatures of 18 species from central Mexico

“…; Baskin & Baskin ; Wang et al . ). The DA showed species grouped for their similar germination traits ( T b and θ T ); nevertheless, some species in the same group belong to the same subfamily, specifically C. bipinnatus , D. coccinea and T. tubaeformis (Asteroideae) in group C, and it is likely that this was due to their phylogenetic relationship.…”

“…Some reports indicate that seed size has a significant effect on seed germination parameters, such as percentage (Wang et al . , ), base water potential (ψ b ; Arène et al . ) and/or seedling performance (Gross ).…”