Grupo de Investigación en Restauración Ecosistémica y Ecología Urbana, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Magdalena, Carrera 32#22-08, Santa Marta D.T.C.H., 470002, Magdalena, Colombia.
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
Naturwissenschaften. 2024 Mar 22;111(2):19. doi: 10.1007/s00114-024-01898-5.
Functional traits can have intraspecific and interspecific variations essential in the structure and dynamics of natural communities. These traits may have implications in the germination and seedling establishment phases in seeds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of variations in mass, volume, and nutrient content (C, N, and P) on the germination of eight species representative of the tropical dry forest (TDF). Our results showed that seed size, both in terms of mass and volume, did not predict germination rates or percentages, nor were they related to nutrient content. In contrast, N content was the most important trait in the germination phase. Larger seeds did not germinate more or faster, but they could offer better resistance against desiccation, since they had higher C/N ratios in their tissues, a characteristic of orthodox seeds. The species A. guachapele, B. arborea, H. crepitans, and V. tortuosa presented a high biological potential in terms of their regeneration capacity, particularly, because the characteristics of their seeds, as well as the nutrient content, revealed consistent implications in their reproductive success, promoting high germination percentages in less time. In general, the results obtained in this study provide basic knowledge for future research, offering starting points for further exploration of species-specific adaptations and how they may be affected by the environment.
功能性状在自然群落的结构和动态中具有种内和种间的变化，这是至关重要的。这些性状可能对种子的萌发和幼苗建立阶段有影响。本研究的目的是评估质量、体积和养分含量（C、N 和 P）变化对八种代表热带干旱森林（TDF）的物种萌发的影响。我们的结果表明，种子大小（无论是质量还是体积）都不能预测萌发率或百分比，也与养分含量无关。相比之下，N 含量是萌发阶段最重要的性状。较大的种子不会更快或更多地萌发，但它们可能具有更好的抗干燥能力，因为它们组织中的 C/N 比更高，这是一种正统种子的特征。A. guachapele、B. arborea、H. crepitans 和 V. tortuosa 这四个物种在再生能力方面表现出较高的生物潜力，特别是由于它们种子的特征以及养分含量，在繁殖成功方面具有一致的影响，促进了在更短的时间内达到高萌发百分比。总的来说，本研究获得的结果为未来的研究提供了基础知识，为进一步探索物种特异性适应及其如何受到环境影响提供了起点。
