Seedling performance within eight different seed-size alpine forbs under experimentation with irradiance and nutrient gradients.

Wang Dong; Zhu Yuan-Jun; Wu Gao-Lin; Feng Jin

Author(s)

Wang Dong State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling Shaanxi, P.R. China;Institute of Soil and Water Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling Shaanxi, P.R. China

Zhu Yuan-Jun State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling Shaanxi, P.R. China;Institute of Soil and Water Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling Shaanxi, P.R. China

Wu Gao-Lin State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling Shaanxi, P.R. China;Institute of Soil and Water Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling Shaanxi, P.R. China

Feng Jin General Grassland Station of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Gansu, P.R. China

Abstract

Relative performance of seedlings of species with different seed sizes may vary in response to resource availability, and may affect seedling growth. The objective was to test this hypothesis from alpine forbs species in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We examined the relative growth rate, allocation and performances of eight native forbs species covering a wide range of seed size in response to four light and three nutrient regimes. Light availability had a significant effect on seedling emergence time, but not on other seedling morphological performances. Seedling emergence time and seed size were negatively correlated with each other for three species within Asteraceae family, i.e. heaviest seeds emerged earlier. Seed size, nutrient availability and their interaction affected most of studied morphological and growth traits of seedlings. Fertilisation modified the relationship between seed size and seedling biomass. Our study showed that seed size and nutrient availability had significant effects on seedling performance in alpine meadows. Seedlings from the larger-seed species presented stronger advantage in initial seedling mass and height under most of resources conditions.

Publication Details

Page(s) 1261-1268

DOI DOI not available

Published Journal: Pakistan Journal of Botany, Volume: 46, Issue: 4, Year: 2014

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