Abstract: Reaumuria trigyna is a relic species in the desert shrubbery vegetation in arid regions of northwestern China, and plays an important role in the maintenance of the stability of desert vegetation. In this paper, the seed traits and germination strategy of R. trigyna under different environmental conditions, e.g., light, temperature, soil moisture, and sand bury, were investigated. The results showed that R. trigyna seed had high vigor and high germination rate, and endured reserve. The seed could germinate either in light or in darkness, and the optimal temperature for germination was 20 ℃-25 ℃ or 15 ℃/25 ℃, with the germination rate being 93%. The seed could start to germinate when soil moisture content was 2%, and the germination rate was the highest (89%) when the moisture content was 12%. The optimal sand burial depth of R. trigyna seed was 1 cm, and no seed would germinate when the sand burial depth was >5 cm. Sand burial depth had significant effects on the seedling’s emergence percentage and growth height, but lesser effects on seedling’s mass. Soil moisture and sand burial depth were the main environmental factors limiting the seed germination and seedling emergence of R. trigyna. The high seed germination rate of R. trigyna enhanced the survival risk of its seedlings, which was unfavorable to its handling with the extreme changes of desert environment. Such a character of R. trigyna seed was one of the factors causing the species endangered.

Key words: niche overlap, mean crowding, fish, niche breadth