Seed size variability and its influence on germination and seedling growth of five multipurpose tree species

Seed mass and population characteristics interact to determine performance of Scorzonera hispanica under common garden conditions

“…The results showed a significant positive effect of seed mass on germination and are in agreement with, e.g. Ouborg and van Treuren (1995), Khera et al (2004) and Koelewijn and van Damme (2005). The fact that we did not find any direct effect of seed mass on plant growth in the later stages of plant development is in agreement with studies suggesting that it is the early stages of plant growth that are the most sensitive (e.g.…”

“…It has been repeatedly shown that plants from smaller seeds germinate later and remain smaller (e.g. Ouborg and van Treuren, 1995;Khera et al, 2004;Vange et al, 2004;Koelewijn and van Damme, 2005; but see Dolan, 1984;Vaughton and Ramsey, 1998;Eriksson, 1999, for no such effect).…”

Germination and seedling growth of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.): effects of provenance, temperature, and radicle pruning

“…In some tree species, large seeds showed increased germination and survival (Ke & Werger 1999, Cicek & Tilki 2007. On the contrary, the rule larger seeds = highest gerination rate does not hold for some other species, as it was in our study (Khera et al 2004, Tilki & Alptekin 2005, Tilki 2010). However, it has been reported that acorn size and morphology are also affected by soil properties and stand characteristics (GeaIzquierdo et al 2006).…”

Determinants of species rarity: population growth rates of species sharing the same habitat

“…Reproductive traits-Reproductive traits both supporting and opposing the rarity of C. pannonicum could be identified. Similar to patterns in other rare-common species pairs (e.g., Rapp, 1981, 1985;Fiedler, 1987;Aizen and Patterson, 1990;Baskin et al, 1997), the common C. acaule has larger seeds, which is expected to result in faster seedling development of this species (Khera et al, 2004;van Molken et al, 2005). On the other hand, seed production was higher in C. pannonicum, showing that, contrary to conclusions of many others (e.g., Fiedler, 1987;Baskin et al, 1997;Young and Brown, 1998), this trait alone cannot explain the rarity of the species.…”