Latitudinal variations of seed functional traits of Phragmites australis in Chinese coastal marsh

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.202212.001

Abstract

Abstract: Functional traits of seeds reflect plant reproductive strategies adapting to environmental changes, which is an evolutionary behavior in natural selection and genetics. Study on seed functional traits is of great significance to deeply understand the long-term adaptive evolution of plants and seeds. We measured seed functional traits of a main indigenous species Phragmites australis, including seed size, seed weight, seed set, and seed production, in nine coastal marshes of the six provinces/cities along the coastal zone of China (21°29′-40°57′ N), and analyzed latitudinal variations of functional traits. The results showed that seed functional traits of P. australis in Chinese coastal marshes varied significantly with latitude and that there were significant correlations among different traits. Seed size (including seed length, seed width, seed shape index, aspect ratio, and seed surface area), and 100-seed weight showed significant quadratic function relation with latitude, which firstly decreased and then increased with the increases of latitude, while seed setting rate firstly increased and then reduced. There was a trade-off between the number and size of P. australis seeds. Seed production per unit area significantly increased with latitude. Results of stepwise regression analysis showed that climatic factors were the main driver resulting in the difference of seed functional traits of P. australis between latitudes, followed by pH and salinity of soil porewater.

Key words: Phragmites australis, seed functional trait, latitude, coastal marsh

WANG Hao-yu, TONG Chuan, HUANG Jia-fang, ZHANG Li-wen, QIU Guang-long, BU Ren-cang, LIANG Chang-e. Latitudinal variations of seed functional traits of Phragmites australis in Chinese coastal marsh[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2022, 33(12): 3294-3302.

References

[1] 刘远瞻, 徐晓, 刘浩, 等. 中国滨海盐沼互花米草和芦苇叶片功能性状的纬度梯度变异. 复旦学报: 自然科学版, 2020, 59(4): 381-389
[2] 于顺利, 王宗帅, 泽仁旺姆. 种子地理学: 概念及其基本科学问题. 应用生态学报, 2010, 21(1): 239-246
[3] 张红香, 周道玮. 种子生态学研究现状. 草业科学, 2016, 33(11): 2221-2236
[4] Carón MM, De Frenne P, Brunet J, et al. Latitudinal variation in seeds characteristics of Acer platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus. Plant Ecology, 2014, 215: 911-925
[5] 武高林, 杜国祯, 尚占环. 种子大小及其命运对植被更新贡献研究进展. 应用生态学报, 2006, 17(10): 1969-1972
[6] Coomes DA, Grubb PJ. Colonization, tolerance, competition and seed-size variation within functional groups. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2003, 18: 283-291
[7] Moles AT, Ackerly DD, Webb CO, et al. Factors that shape seed mass evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2005, 102: 10540-10544
[8] 刘贵峰, 臧润国, 刘华, 等. 天山云杉种子形态性状的地理变异. 应用生态学报, 2012, 23(6): 1455-1461
[9] Csontos P, Tamás J, Podani J. Slope aspect affects the seed mass spectrum of grassland vegetation. Seed Science Research, 2004, 14: 379-385
[10] Mckee J, Richards AJ. Variation in seed production and germinability in common reed (Phragmites australis) in Britain and France with respect to climate. New Phytologist, 1996, 133: 233-243
[11] Moles AT, Ackerly DD, Tweddle JC, et al. Global patterns in seed size. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2007, 16: 109-116
[12] Koenig WD, Knops JMH, Dickinson JL, et al. Latitudinal decrease in acorn size in bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is due to environmental constraints, not avian dispersal. Botany, 2009, 87: 349-356
[13] Liu W, Maung-Douglass K, Strong DR, et al. Geographical variation in vegetative growth and sexual reproduction of the invasive Spartina alterniflora in China. Journal of Ecology, 2016, 104: 173-181
[14] Costanza R, D'Arge R, De Groot R, et al. The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 1997, 387: 253-260
[15] Barbier EB, Hacker SD, Kennedy C, et al. The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services. Ecological Monographs, 2011, 81: 169-193
[16] 神祥金, 姜明, 吕宪国, 等. 中国草本沼泽植被地上生物量及其空间分布格局. 中国科学: 地球科学, 2021, 51(8): 1306-1316
[17] 汪秀岩, 周宇鹏, 薛雨霏, 等. 高低纬度种源互花米草种子萌发特性及其对温度的响应. 生态学杂志, 2021, 40(9): 2763-2772
[18] 刘长江, 林祁, 贺建秀. 中国植物种子形态学研究方法和术语. 西北植物学报, 2004(1): 178-188
[19] Cerdà A, García-Fayos P. The influence of seed size and shape on their removal by water erosion. Catena, 2002, 48: 293-301
[20] Baker HG. Seed weight in relation to environmental conditions in California. Ecology, 1972, 53: 997-1010
[21] Marks TC, Truscott AJ. Variation in seed production and germination of Spartina anglica within a zoned saltmarsh. Journal of Ecology, 1985, 73: 695
[22] Ishii J, Kadono Y. Factors influencing seed production of Phragmites australis. Aquatic Botany, 2002, 72: 129-141
[23] Moles AT, Ackerly DD, Webb CO, et al. A brief history of seed size. Science, 2005, 307: 576-580
[24] Leishman MR, Westoby M. Seed size and shape are not related to persistence in soil in Australia in the same way as in Britain: Seed size, shape and persistence in soil. Functional Ecology, 1998, 12: 480-485
[25] Smith CC, Fretwell SD. The optimal balance between size and number of offspring. The American Naturalist, 1974, 108: 499-506
[26] 闫巧玲, 刘志民, 李荣平, 等. 科尔沁沙地75种植物结种量种子形态和植物生活型关系研究. 草业学报, 2005, 14(4): 21-28
[27] Gu J, Jin R, Chen G, et al. Areal extent, species composition, and spatial distribution of coastal saltmarshes in China. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 2021, 14: 7085-7094
[28] Moles AT, Falster DS, Leishman MR, et al. Small-seeded species produce more seeds per square metre of canopy per year, but not per individual per lifetime: Seed mass and lifetime seed production. Journal of Eco-logy, 2004, 92: 384-396
[29] 张世挺, 杜国祯, 陈家宽. 种子大小变异的进化生态学研究现状与展望. 生态学报, 2003, 23(2): 353-364
[30] Manning P, Houston K, Evans T. Shifts in seed size across experimental nitrogen enrichment and plant density gradients. Basic and Applied Ecology, 2009, 10: 300-308
[31] Moles AT, Westoby M. Seed size and plant strategy across the whole life cycle. Oikos, 2006, 113: 91-105
[32] 李海燕, 王昊羽, 黄佳芳, 等. 福州市滨海湿地中主要草本植物的种子性状分析. 湿地科学, 2022, 20(2): 239-250
[33] Westoby M, Falster DS, Moles AT, et al. Plant ecological strategies: Some leading dimensions of variation between species. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 2002, 33: 125-159
[34] Wang L, Meng L, Luo J. Florivory modulates the seed number-seed weight relationship in Halenia elliptica (Gentianaceae). The Scientific World Journal, 2015, 2015: 1-7
[35] Gorden NLS, Winkler KJ, Jahnke MR, et al. Geographic patterns of seed mass are associated with climate factors, but relationships vary between species. American Journal of Botany, 2016, 103: 60-72
[36] Parrish JAD, Bazzaz FA. Nutrient content of Abutilon theophrasti seeds and the competitive ability of the resulting plants. Oecologia, 1985, 65: 247-251
[37] Moles AT, Westoby M. Seedling survival and seed size: A synthesis of the literature: Seedling survival and seed size. Journal of Ecology, 2004, 92: 372-383
[38] Tautenhahn S, Heilmeier H, Götzenberger L, et al. On the biogeography of seed mass in Germany: Distribution patterns and environmental correlates. Ecography, 2008, 31: 457-468
[39] Gallagher RV, Leishman MR. A global analysis of trait variation and evolution in climbing plants. Journal of Biogeography, 2012, 39: 1757-1771
[40] Murray BR, Brown AHD, Dickman CR, et al. Geographical gradients in seed mass in relation to climate: Seed mass and climate. Journal of Biogeography, 2004, 31: 379-388
[41] Frenne P, Graae BJ, Rodríguez-Sánchez F, et al. Latitudinal gradients as natural laboratories to infer species' responses to temperature. Journal of Ecology, 2013, 101: 784-795
[42] Wulff RD. Germination of seeds of different sizes in Hyptis suaveolens: The response to irradiance and mixed red-far-red sources. Canadian Journal of Botany, 1985, 63: 885-888
[43] 蒋小雪, 金飚. 气候变化对植物有性生殖影响的研究进展. 西北植物学报, 2012, 32(10): 2139-2150
[44] Peng S, Huang J, Sheehy JE, et al. Rice yields decline with higher night temperature from global warming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2004, 101: 9971-9975
[45] Welch JR, Vincent JR, Auffhammer M, et al. Rice yields in tropical/subtropical Asia exhibit large but opposing sensitivities to minimum and maximum temperatures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010, 107: 14562-14567
[46] Niu S, Wan S. Warming changes plant competitive hierarchy in a temperate steppe in northern China. Journal of Plant Ecology, 2008, 1: 103-110
[47] Xiao D, Zhang L, Zhu Z. A study on seed characteristics and seed bank of Spartina alterniflora at saltmarshes in the Yangtze Estuary, China. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2009, 83: 105-110