The evolutionary correlation associated with seed mass and altitude on nutrient allocation of seeds

Abstract

Seed reserves play vital roles in seed germination and seedling growth and their variation may be related to various environment factors, plant traits and phylogenetic history. Here, the evolutionary correlation associated with seed mass and altitude and carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) allocation of seeds among 253 alpine herbaceous plants was tested. In this study, phylogeny had strong limitations on nutrient allocation of seeds across species, and species from younger phylogenetic groups tended to have higher N and P contents, which might be considered as the evolutionary selection of seed plants. Higher seed N and P content would help seedlings to gain more survival chance and stronger competitive capacity, and their progeny would be more likely to be preserved. When phylogeny was considered, altitude only had a significant positive effect on P content, but the negative effects on seed mass were all expressed. The independent effects of altitude and seed mass suggest that the nutrient allocation of seeds might be affected by both environment and plant traits. In addition, altitude and seed mass displayed partial overlapping effects on nutrient allocation of seeds. The negative effects of seed mass were affected slightly by altitude, whereas altitude only had a significant positive effect on P content when seed mass was controlled. Above all, seed P content showed obvious and general correlations with seed mass, altitude and age of clade, which indicated that higher seed P content might be an adaptive selection of species associated with growth and survival of progeny.

Interspecific differences in maternal support in herbaceous plants: CNP contents in seeds varies to match expected nutrient limitation of seedlings

“…Second, seed mass affects the proportion of phosphorus, which is stored in higher proportions in small‐seeded species than in large‐seeded species. This finding is in agreement with previous findings for herbaceous species (Bu et al 2019) but it contradicts the findings for woody plants (Grubb and Coomes 2008). Additionally, there was a tendency for the proportion of phosphorus to be balanced with respect to the proportions of nitrogen and nonstructural carbon.…”

Global patterns in the evolutionary relations between seed mass and germination traits

“…This ecological rationale provides insights into the underlying factors contributing to the variation in seed mass observed both within and among species. In this regard, studies have indicated that superiority of larger seeds compared with smaller ones might be related to embryo viability and higher carbohydrate and protein content (González-Rodríguez et al 2011; Bu et al, 2019). Our results showed a positive correlation between embryo size and germination rate.…”

Allocation Strategies for Seed Nitrogen and Phosphorus in an Alpine Meadow Along an Altitudinal Gradient on the Tibetan Plateau

“…The main vegetation is that of a typical alpine meadow. The climate is cold Humid-Alpine (annual average temperature ranges from 1.2°C to 4.6°C and annual average precipitation ranges from 516 mm to 780 mm), and growing season is short (from late May to late September) ( Bu et al, 2018 , 2019 ). The dominant species in alpine meadow are mainly from the Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Gentianaceae, Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Scrophulariaceae ( Zhang et al, 2014 ).…”