Germination heterochrony in annual plants of Salsola L.: an effective survival strategy in changing environments.

ABSTRACT: Germination heterochrony refers to germination of seeds dispersed in a single growing season, which is different from delayed germination. We studied two year's demographic characteristics, characteristics of fruit heteromorphism, the relationship between fruit heteromorphism and germination heterochrony, effects of moisture and temperature on germination characteristics, as well as seed longevity of four annual Salsola L. species to analyze the adaptive significance and causes of germination heterochrony. We found that the number of individuals of all populations changed drastically in one year. Approximately 41.6-100% of seedlings germinated in spring died. The number of fruit types varied with interspecies and intraspecies. Despite the wide range of germination temperature of different

SUBMITTER: Liu HF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5920052 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature