From Seed to Seedling: Constraints Imposed by Warming, UV-B, and Burial Depth on Alpine Cushion Plant Recruitment.

ABSTRACT: Alpine cushion plants play keystone roles in regulating and sustaining various ecosystem functions, including enhancement and maintenance of community diversity and productivity. Therefore, their population dynamics may exert significant influences on alpine ecosystems. However, the mechanisms driving their population dynamics, particularly during critical early recruitment stages such as seedling emergence and subsequent growth, remain poorly understood. This study investigated how warming temperatures, intense UV-B radiation, and increased seed burial depth affect the emergence, growth, and mortality of seedlings from 11 cushion plant species in the alpine subnival zones of the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains in southwestern China. Results revealed that deep seed burial (exceeding 1 cm) sign

SUBMITTER: Huang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12790870 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature