Ozone exposure of a weed community produces adaptive changes in seed populations of Spergula arvensis.

ABSTRACT: Tropospheric ozone is one of the major drivers of global change. This stress factor alters plant growth and development. Ozone could act as a selection pressure on species communities composition, but also on population genetic background, thus affecting life history traits. Our objective was to evaluate the consequences of prolonged ozone exposure of a weed community on phenotypic traits of Spergulaarvensis linked to persistence. Specifically, we predicted that the selection pressure exerted by high ozone concentrations as well as the concomitant changes in the weed community would drive population adaptive changes which will be reflected on seed germination, dormancy and longevity. In order to test seed viability and dormancy level, we conducted germination experiments for which we used

SUBMITTER: Landesmann JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3784398 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature