Hu Xiao Wen, Zhang Rui, Wu Yan Pei, Baskin Carol C
State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China.
Department of Biology University of Kentucky Lexington KY USA.
Ecol Evol. 2017 Jun 22;7(15):5948-5955. doi: 10.1002/ece3.3169. eCollection 2017 Aug.
It is generally accepted that seedlings from large seeds are more tolerant to defoliation than those from small seeds due to the additional metabolic reserves present in the large seeds. However, information on the effects of amount of seed reserves (cotyledon removal) from seedlings resulting from large vs. small seeds on seedling growth and long-term survival in the field is limited. Five legume species with different sizes of seeds were sown in the field and none, one, or both cotyledons removed 7 days after seedling emergence. Seedling biomass, relative growth rate (RGR) and survival were determined at different time. Cotyledon removal, species, and their interaction had significant effects on seedling growth and survival. During the period between 33 and 70 days, seedlings from large seeds had a significantly lower RGR than those from small seeds. Biomass, RGR, and survival of seedlings from large seeds were significantly reduced by removal one or both cotyledons, whereas those of seedlings from small seeds were not affected. Seed energy reserves are more important for the early growth of seedlings from large seeds than for those from small seeds. The overall effect of cotyledon removal on growth and survival varies with seed size (i.e., energy reserves) with seedlings from small seeds being less sensitive than those from large seeds under field conditions.
人们普遍认为，由于大种子中存在额外的代谢储备，大种子的幼苗比小种子的幼苗更耐落叶。然而，关于大种子和小种子产生的幼苗种子储备量（子叶去除）对田间幼苗生长和长期存活的影响的信息有限。将五种不同种子大小的豆科植物种在田间，在幼苗出土7天后去除零片、一片或两片叶子。在不同时间测定幼苗生物量、相对生长率（RGR）和存活率。子叶去除、物种及其相互作用对幼苗生长和存活有显著影响。在33至70天期间，大种子的幼苗的RGR显著低于小种子的幼苗。去除一片或两片叶子显著降低了大种子幼苗的生物量、RGR和存活率，而小种子幼苗的这些指标则不受影响。种子能量储备对大种子幼苗的早期生长比小种子幼苗更重要。子叶去除对生长和存活的总体影响因种子大小（即能量储备）而异，在田间条件下，小种子的幼苗比大种子的幼苗更不敏感。
