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Critical role of air and soil temperature in the development of primary and secondary physical dormancy in Albizia julibrissin (Fabaceae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2021

Ganesh K. Jaganathan Open the ORCID record for Ganesh K. Jaganathan [Opens in a new window]  and
Matthew Biddick Open the ORCID record for Matthew Biddick [Opens in a new window]
Ganesh K. Jaganathan*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biothermal Science and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China
Matthew Biddick
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
*
Author for correspondence:*Ganesh K. Jaganathan, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Physical dormancy (PY) is typically induced by seed coat impermeability that develops once the moisture content of seeds drops below a species-specific threshold. Considering this, we utilized Albizia julibrissin (Fabaceae) to ask (i) whether seeds that mature on the outer branches of trees (directly exposed to sunlight) are more likely to be impermeable than seeds matured under canopy cover; (ii) whether this difference might be explained by the maternal environment in which the seeds mature; and (iii) which conditions impose secondary dormancy following dispersal? Temperature was tracked in both shaded and sun-exposed seed pods throughout the growing season using data-loggers. Temperatures remained lower in pods under canopy cover than those exposed to direct sunlight. Consequently, the moisture content of seeds collected from sun-exposed branches were significantly lower than seeds matured under canopy cover, thereby producing a higher percentage of impermeable seeds. A dispersal-mimicking experiment revealed that seeds matured in sun-exposed branches and subsequently dispersed to an open site for 4 months were more likely to develop impermeability (i.e. secondary dormancy). The opposite was found to be true for seeds matured in shaded branches and subsequently dispersed to a canopy-covered site. We conclude that the microclimate of both the maternal environment in which seeds mature, and the site to which they disperse, determines the development of primary and secondary dormancy, respectively.

Keywords

dryingimpermeable seed coatsmaternal environmentmicro-climatemoisture content
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 36 , Issue 6 , November 2020 , pp. 251 - 257
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Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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