Comparative Germination Ecology of Two Endemic Rhaponticum Species (Asteraceae) in Different Climatic Zones of the Ligurian and Maritime Alps (Piedmont, Italy)
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Results
2.1. Study 1—Microclimatic Conditions at the Growing Sites and in the Nursery
2.2. Study 2—Conversion of Temperature Data into Different Climatic Parameters
2.3. Study 3—Germination Experiments under Controlled Conditions in the Lab
2.4. Study 4—Seed Burial Experiments in the Field and in the Plant Nursery
3. Discussion
3.1. Germination Experiments under Controlled Conditions in the Lab
3.1.1. Seed Responses to Cold Stratification
3.1.2. Physiological Dormancy
3.1.3. R. scariosum and R. bicknellii do not Share Common Germination Strategies
3.2. Seed Burial Experiments in the Field and in the Plant Nursery
3.2.1. R. scariosum and R. bicknellii Form Transient Soil Seed Banks
3.2.2. Seed in the Soil in Relation to Different Microclimatic Conditions
3.3. Microclimatic Conditions at the Growing Sites and in the Nursery
4. Materials and Methods
4.1. Species Taxonomy, Distribution and Study Sites
4.2. Study 1—Microclimatic Conditions at the Growing Sites and in the Plant Nursery
4.3. Study 2—Conversion of Temperature Data into Different Climatic Parameters
4.4. Study 3—Germination Experiments under Controlled Conditions in the Lab
4.4.1. Seed Collection and Preparation
4.4.2. Germination Tests
4.5. Study 4—Seed Burial Experiments at the Study Sites and in the Plant Nursery
4.6. Statistical Analysis
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Factor | Estimate | SE | z-Value | p |
---|---|---|---|---|
Intercept | −3.228926 | 0.325025 | −9.934 | <2 × 10−16 *** |
Cold stratification (Str) | 0.004309 | 0.003156 | 1.365 | 0.17218 |
Incubation temperature (T) | 0.083810 | 0.016694 | 5.020 | 5.16 × 10−7 *** |
R. bicknellii | 0.201804 | 0.247832 | 0.814 | 0.41549 |
Str x R. bicknellii | 0.011759 | 0.004139 | 2.841 | 0.00449 ** |
Factor | Estimate | SE | z-Value | p |
---|---|---|---|---|
Intercept | −2.9257 | 0.4524 | −6.467 | 1.00 × 10−10 *** |
Cold stratification (Str) | 0.0043 | 0.0032 | 1.350 | 0.177 |
Incubation temperature (T) | 0.0649 | 0.0262 | 2.484 | 0.013 * |
Factor | Estimate | SE | t-Value | p |
---|---|---|---|---|
Intercept | −3.2281 | 0.3883 | −8.314 | 4.65 × 10−16 *** |
Cold stratification (Str) | 0.0162 | 0.0027 | 6.004 | 3.06 × 10−9 *** |
Incubation temperature (T) | 0.0963 | 0.0212 | 4.432 | 1.08 × 10−5 *** |
Species | Study Areas (Acronyms) | Habitat Code | SIC Code b | Geology | Altitude (m a.s.l.) | Aspect | Thermoclimatic Belts c |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. scariosum | PDV a | Alpine pastures: 6150 | IT 1160021 | Siliceous rocks | 1915 | South-East | Orotemperate |
R. bicknellii | GDC a | Alpine pastures: 6170 * | IT 1160057 | Calcareous rocks | 1840 | South | Supratemperate |
Treatments in the Dark | Cold Stratification Period (in Days) | Incubation Temperatures (°C) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 30 | 60 | 90 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |
1 | X | X | |||||
2 | X | X | |||||
3 | X | X | |||||
4 | X | X | |||||
5 | X | X | |||||
6 | X | X | |||||
7 | X | X | |||||
8 | X | X | |||||
9 | X | X | |||||
10 | X | X | |||||
11 | X | X | |||||
12 | X | X |
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Carasso, V.; Mucciarelli, M.; Dovana, F.; Müller, J.V. Comparative Germination Ecology of Two Endemic Rhaponticum Species (Asteraceae) in Different Climatic Zones of the Ligurian and Maritime Alps (Piedmont, Italy). Plants 2020, 9, 708. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9060708
Carasso V, Mucciarelli M, Dovana F, Müller JV. Comparative Germination Ecology of Two Endemic Rhaponticum Species (Asteraceae) in Different Climatic Zones of the Ligurian and Maritime Alps (Piedmont, Italy). Plants. 2020; 9(6):708. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9060708
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarasso, Valentina, Marco Mucciarelli, Francesco Dovana, and Jonas V Müller. 2020. "Comparative Germination Ecology of Two Endemic Rhaponticum Species (Asteraceae) in Different Climatic Zones of the Ligurian and Maritime Alps (Piedmont, Italy)" Plants 9, no. 6: 708. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9060708