Contrasting germination responses to vegetative canopies experienced in pre- vs. post-dispersal environments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Seeds adjust their germination based on conditions experienced before and after dispersal. Post-dispersal cues are expected to be more accurate predictors of offspring environments, and thus offspring success, than pre-dispersal cues. Therefore, germination responses to conditions experienced during seed maturation may be expected to be superseded by responses to conditions experienced during seed imbibition. In taxa of disturbed habitats, neighbours frequently reduce the performance of germinants. This leads to the hypotheses that a vegetative canopy will reduce germination in such taxa, and that a vegetative canopy experienced during seed imbibition will over-ride germination responses to a canopy experienced during seed maturation, since it is a more proximal cue of i

SUBMITTER: Leverett LD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5091727 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature