Seed production, mass, germinability, and subsequent seedling growth responses to parental warming environment in Leymus chinensis
Song Gao A E , Junfeng Wang A E , Zhijing Zhang B , Gang Dong C and Jixun Guo A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, PR China.
B School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, PR China.
C School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, PR China.
D Corresponding author. Email: gjixun@gmail.com
E Co-first authors.
Crop and Pasture Science 63(1) 87-94 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP11297
Submitted: 27 October 2011 Accepted: 16 February 2012 Published: 13 March 2012
Abstract
Understanding how the seed yield and seed quality respond to global warming is crucial for understanding how new grassland establishment responds to global change. This study evaluated Leymus chinensis, a dominant perennial grass widely distributed in the eastern regions of the Eurasian grassland zone, as a model to investigate the effect of increasing ambient temperature on seed production, seed mass, germinability, and subsequent seedling growth. As the temperature rose, there were significant reductions in the number of flowering plants and in seed number per square metre but significant increase in the number of florets and the number of seeds per plant. Increasing temperature decreased the proportion of light weight seeds, increased the proportion of heavy weight seeds and led to a significant increase in the mean dry weight. Germination success, germination rate and the root : shoot ratio of light weight seeds were reduced, while heavy weight seed did not appear to be affected by elevated temperatures. Finally, germinating seeds per unit area was reduced by increased temperature. The reduction in the number of germinating seeds with increasing temperature implies that continued global warming will further constrain new grassland establishment of L. chinensis in the eastern regions of Eurasia.
Additional keywords: germination, global warming, seed production, seedling growth, temperate grassland.
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