How does population outcrossing rate influence seed quality? A case study from a seed tree stand of Pinus massoniana

Wei, Wei; Chen, Mei-Xi; Li, Xian-Qin; Jiang, Wei-Xin; Bai, Tian-Dao

doi:10.1007/s11056-023-09995-5

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…We infer that this is mainly due to the serious skewness of the distribution of tm values (Figure 5), which distorted the results of the correlation analysis. Several studies have revealed that the seed mass is mainly influenced by self-fertilization in conifers [8,14,52]. However, our study showed an extremely low level of self-fertilized seeds.…”

Section: Relationship Between Seed and Mating System And Its Highligh...contrasting

confidence: 62%

“…No significant association between seed mass and germination capacity was detected in our study (Figure S3). It was compatible with some species [51,52,60] but inconsistent with others reported [60][61][62][63]. It indicates that the effect of seed mass on seed germination capacity is likely species-specific and has little effect on predicting seed germination capacity in PYT.…”

Section: Seed Qualitycontrasting

confidence: 48%

“…This result indicates that seed quality is likely more affected by the Seed quality plays a vital role in the regeneration of wild stands and the reforestation of artificial plantations. Seed mass and germinability are considered important indicators in evaluating seed quality [50][51][52]. Our study revealed a significant variation (p < 0.01) in seed mass and germinability among populations and families.…”

Section: Seed Qualitymentioning

confidence: 56%

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Genetic Diversity, Mating System, and Seed Viability Reveal a Trade-Off between Outcrossing and Inbreeding in Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia, an Ecologically Important Conifer Species Growing in a Hot-Dry River Basin Habitat in Southwest China

Li,

Wen,

Huang

et al. 2024

Forests

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Revealing the relationship between the mating system (i.e., the outcrossing/inbreeding degree) and the fitness of seeds in tree species under wild conditions is essential for understanding the ecological adaptability and evolutionary stability of the species. This study collected open-pollinated seeds from seven wild populations of Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia that exhibited fragmentation in the Nanpan–Hongshui River basin, an ecologically fragile area in China. The seeds and sprouts (germinated seeds) from 20 families were genotyped (24 seeds and 24 sprouts per family) using twelve microsatellite loci to reveal the genetic diversity, mating status, and effect of inbreeding on the three seed quality indicators (thousand-seed weight, germination rate, and germination potential). The three seed quality indicators differed significantly between families (p < 0.001). Higher values of genetic diversity (except the observed heterozygosity) were observed in the sprout group than those in the seed group. Families from different populations showed a notable genetic differentiation (Φst = 0.12), and a large part of families from the common populations had a high degree of coancestry, which signified that the current habitat fragmentation is limiting gene flow between populations. High levels of outcrossing rates (tm) were observed in both the seed group (tm = 0.974) and the sprout group (tm = 0.978), indicating that a low proportion of seeds were self-fertilized. Although there was a slightly higher single outcrossing rate (ts = 0.888) and a lower proportion of biparental inbreeding (tm − ts = 0.077) in sprouts compared to the seeds (ts = 0.871, tm − ts = 0.091), indicating that a part of inbred seeds were purged during the germination stage, curve fitting between the outcrossing rate and seed quality indicators showed that a certain degree of biparental inbreeding (ts between 0.89 and 0.91 and tm − ts between 0.09 and 0.11) did have a positive effect on seed germination ability. This highlights that excessive inbreeding or outbreeding seems to be unfavorable to seed viability. The peculiar relationship between seed viability and the mating system in P. yunnanensis var. tenuifolia was likely an evolutionary consequence of a trade-off between the nature of mixed mating and its specific ecological niche.

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Section: Relationship Between Seed and Mating System And Its Highligh...contrasting

confidence: 62%