Gu Ruiting, Zhou Yi, Song Xiaoyue, Xu Shaochun, Zhang Xiaomei, Lin Haiying, Xu Shuai, Yue Shidong, Zhu Shuyu
CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2018 Mar 23;9:221. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00221. eCollection 2018.
Seeds are important materials for the restoration of globally-threatened marine angiosperm (seagrass) populations. In this study, we investigated the differences between different seed types and developed two feasible long-term seed storage methods. The ability of seeds to tolerate the short-term desiccation and extreme cold had been investigated. The tolerance of seeds to long-term exposure of high salinity, cold temperature, and desiccation had been considered as potential methods for long-term seed storage. Also, three morphological and nine physiological indices were measured and compared between two types of seeds: Shape L and Shape S. We found that: (1) wet storage at a salinity of 30-40 psu and 0°C were the optimal long-term storage conditions, and the proportion of viable seeds reached over 90% after a storage period of 11 months since the seeds were collected from the reproductive shoots; (2) dry condition was not the optimal choice for long-term storage of seeds; however, storing seeds in a dry condition at 5°C and 33 ± 10% relative humidity for 9 months had a relatively high percentage (74.44 ± 2.22%) of viable seeds, consequently desiccation exposure could also be an acceptable seed storage method; (3) seeds would lose vigor in the interaction of extreme cold (-27°C) and desiccation; (4) there were significant differences in seed weight, seed curvature, and endocarp thickness between the two types of seeds. These findings provided fundamental physiological information for seeds and supported the long-term storage of its seeds. Our results may also serve as useful reference for seed storage of other threatened seagrass species and facilitate their conservation and habitat restoration.
种子是全球受威胁的海洋被子植物（海草）种群恢复的重要材料。在本研究中，我们调查了不同种子类型之间的差异，并开发了两种可行的长期种子储存方法。已经研究了种子耐受短期干燥和极端寒冷的能力。种子对长期高盐度、低温和干燥暴露的耐受性被视为长期种子储存的潜在方法。此外，还测量并比较了两种种子（形状L和形状S）之间的三个形态学指标和九个生理学指标。我们发现：（1）在盐度为30-40 psu和0°C的条件下湿储存是最佳的长期储存条件，自从生殖枝收集种子后储存11个月后，有活力种子的比例达到90%以上；（2）干燥条件不是种子长期储存的最佳选择；然而，在5°C和相对湿度33±10%的干燥条件下储存种子9个月，有活力种子的比例相对较高（74.44±2.22%），因此干燥暴露也可能是一种可接受的种子储存方法；（3）种子在极端寒冷（-27°C）和干燥的相互作用下会失去活力；（4）两种种子在种子重量、种子曲率和内果皮厚度方面存在显著差异。这些发现为种子提供了基本的生理信息，并支持其种子的长期储存。我们的结果也可能为其他受威胁海草物种的种子储存提供有用的参考，并促进它们的保护和栖息地恢复。
