Minimal temperature of pollen germination controls species distribution along a temperature gradient.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Although plant distribution patterns are well documented, our understanding of the ecophysiological mechanisms that control the geographical ranges of plant species remains poor. We used a largely ignored method, the performance of the male gametophyte in vitro, to assess whether the thermal range of pollen germination and tube growth controls species distribution ranges, in this case along an elevational gradient.

Methods

Using in vitro pollen germination experiments, we obtained cardinal temperatures (minimal, optimal and maximal) of pollen germination and pollen tube growth for 25 herbaceous species along a mean annual temperature gradient of about 5 °C. These temperatures were correlated with temperatures of the sites where the species were collected.

SUBMITTER: Rosbakh S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4904169 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature