Effects of germination season on life history traits and on transgenerational plasticity in seed dormancy in a cold desert annual.

ABSTRACT: The maternal environment can influence the intensity of seed dormancy and thus seasonal germination timing and post-germination life history traits. We tested the hypotheses that germination season influences phenotypic expression of post-germination life history traits in the cold desert annual Isatis violascens and that plants from autumn- and spring-germinating seeds produce different proportions of seeds with nondeep and intermediate physiological dormancy (PD). Seeds were sown in summer and flexibility in various life history traits determined for plants that germinated in autumn and in spring. A higher percentage of spring- than of autumn-germinating plants survived the seedling stage, and all surviving plants reproduced. Number of silicles increased with plant size (autumn- > spring

SUBMITTER: Lu JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4846867 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature