Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-jswmv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-15T22:04:04.982Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Large-seeded spices are less dependent on light for germination than small-seeded ones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

P. Milberg,
L. Andersson and
K. Thompson
P. Milberg*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology-IFM, Linkõping University, 581 83 Linkõping, Sweden
L. Andersson
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Crop Production science, SLU, Box 7043, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
K. Thompson
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
*
*Fax: +46 13 28 26 11 Email: permi@ifm.liu.se
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

Germination in light and darkness was compared after cold stratification of seeds of 54 species known or suspected to accumulate persistent seed banks. Germination became less dependent on light with increasing seed mass. This pattern was clear in a direct correlation of individual species data (P <0.0001) as well as when considering phylogenetically independent contrasts (P <0.001). The latter analysis suggests that light response and seed mass coevolved.

Keywords

evolutiongerminationlightphylogenetic correctionseed sizestratificationSweden

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , March 2000, pp. 99 - 104
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

References

Anderson, L. and Milberg, P. (1998) Variation in seed dormacy among mother plants, populations and years of seed collection. Seed Science Research 8, 29–38.Google Scholar
Baskin, C.C. and Baskin, J.M. (1988) Germination ecophysiology of herbaceous plant species in a temperature region. American Journal of Botany 75, 286–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baskin, C.C. and Baskin, J.M. (1998) Seeds. Ecology, biogeography, and evolution of dormancy and germination. San Diego, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Baskin, J.M. and Baskin, C.C. (1989) Physiology of dormancy and germination in relation to seed bank ecology. pp. 53–66in Leck, M.A.; Parker, V.T.; Simpson, R.L. (Eds) Ecology of soil seed banks. San Diego, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Bell, D.T., Rokich, D.P., McChesney, C.J. and Plummer, J.A. (1995) Effects of temperature, light and gibberellic acid on the germination of seeds of 43 species native to Western Australia. Journal of Vegetation Science 6, 797–806.Google Scholar
Benvenuti, S. (1995) Soil light penetration and dormancy of jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) seeds. Weed Science 43, 389–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chase, M.W. et al. . (1993) Phylogenetics of seed plants: an analysis of nucleotide sequences from the plastid gene rbcL. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 80, 528–580.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cussans, G.W., Raudonius, S., Brain, P. and Cumberworth, S. (1996) Effects of depth of seed burial and soil aggregate size on seedling emergence of Alopecurus myosuroides, Galium aparine, Stellaria media and wheat. Weed Research 36, 133–141.Google Scholar
del Arco, M.J.S., Torner, C. and Quintanilla, C.F. (1995) Seed dynamics in populations of Avena sterilis spp. ludoviciana. Weed Research 35, 477–487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derkx, M.P.M. and Karssen, C.M. (1993) Changing sensitivity to light and nitrate but not to gibberellins regulates seasonal dormancy patterns in Sisymbrium officinale seeds. Plant, Cell and Environment 16, 469–479.Google Scholar
Fenner, M. (1992) Environmental influences of seed size and composition. Horticultural Reviews 13, 183–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grime, J.P., Mason, G., Curtis, A.V., Rodman, J., Band, S.R., Mowforth, M.A.G., Neal, A.M. and Shaw, S. (1981) A comparative study of germination characteristics in a local flora. Journal of Ecology 69, 1017–1059.Google Scholar
Harvey, P.H. and Pagel, D.M. (1991) The comparative method in evolutionary biology. Oxford, Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodkinson, D.J., Askew, A.P., Thompson, K., Hodgson, J.G., Bakker, J.P. and Bekker, R.M. (1998) Ecological correlates of seed size in the British flora. Functional Ecology 12, 762–766.Google Scholar
Jansen, R.K., Holsinger, K.E., Michaels, H.J. and Palmer, J.D. (1990) Phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast DNA restriction site data at higher taxonomic levels: an example from the Asteraceae. Evolution 44, 2089–2105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kasperbauer, M.J. and Hunt, P.G. (1988) Biological and photometric measurement of light transmission through soils of various colors. Botanical Gazette 149, 361–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mandoli, D.F., Ford, G.A., Waldron, L.J., Nemson, J.A. and Briggs, W.R. (1990) Some spectral properties of several soil types: implications for photomorphogenesis. Plant, Cell and Environment 13, 287–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michaels, J.H., Benner, B., Hartgerink, A.P., Lee, T.D., Rice, S., Willson, M.F. and Bertin, R.I. (1988) Seed size variation: magnitude, distribution, and ecological correlates. Evolutionary Ecology 2, 157–166.Google Scholar
Milberg, P. (1994) Germination ecology of the polycarpic grassland perennials Primula veris and Trollius europaeus. Ecography 17, 3–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milberg, P. (1997) Weed seed germination after short term light exposure: germination rate, photon fluence response and interaction with nitrate. Weed Research 37, 157–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milberg, P. and Andersson, L. (1997) Seasonal variation in dormancy and light sensitivity in buried seeds of eightannual weed species. Canadian Journal of Botany 75, 1998–2004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milberg, P. and Andersson, L. (1998) Does cold stratification level out differences in seed germinability between populations? Plant Ecology 134, 225–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milberg, P., Andersson, L. and Noronha, A. (1996) Seed germination after short-duration light exposure: implications for the photo-control of weeds. Journal of Applied Ecology 33, 1469–1478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noronha, A., Andersson, L. and Milberg, P. (1997) Rate of change in dormancy level and light requirement in weed seeds during stratification. Annals of Botany 80, 795–801.Google Scholar
Pons, T.L. (1991) Induction of dark dormancy in seeds: its importance for the seed bank in the soil. Functional Ecology 5, 669–675.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purvis, A. and Rambaut, A. (1995) Comparative analysis by independent contrasts (CAIC): an Apple Macintosh application for analysing comparative data. Computer Applications in Biosciences 11, 247–251.Google Scholar
Schũtz, W. and Milberg, P. (1997) Seed dormancy in Carex canescens: regional differences and ecological consequences. Oikos 78, 420–428.Google Scholar
Scopel, A.L., Ballare, C.L. and Sanchez, R.A. (1991) Induction of extreme light sensitivity in buried weed seeds and its role in the perception of soil cultivations. Plant, Cell and Environment 14, 501–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scopel, A.L., Ballare, C.L. and Radosevich, S.R. (1994) Photostimulation of seed germination during soil tillage. New Phytologist 126, 145–152.Google Scholar
Stace, C.A. (1991) New flora of the British Isles. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Thompson, K., Band, S.R. and Hodgson, J.G. (1993) Seed size and shape predict persistence in soil. Functional Ecology 7, 236–241.Google Scholar
Thompson, K., Bakker, J.P. and Bekker, R.M. (1997) The soil seed banks of north west Europe: Methodology, density and longevity. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M. and Webb, D.A. Eds (1964–1980) Flora Europaea, Vols 1–5. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Wesson, G. and Wareing, P.F. (1969) The induction of light sensitivity in weed seeds by burial. Journal of Experimental Botany 20, 414–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar