Abstract
Abstract While density dependence is a central issue in much of plant ecology, it is often overlooked during the crucial seed germination period of the plant life‐cycle. Here, patterns of germination in relation to initial seed density for 12 phylogenetically‐diverse perennial plant species are described from laboratory experiments. When each of the 12 species was analysed individually, seeds of Alysicarpus rugosus, Callistemon citrinus, Eragrostis curvula and Panicum miliaceum showed a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high densities of conspecifics. A meta‐analysis carried out by grouping 11 of the 12 species together revealed an overall significant effect for a decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high conspecific densities compared with low con‐specific densities. Significant decreases in the proportion of seeds germinating are interpreted as risk reappraisal by seeds through dormancy in response to potentially hazardous conditions imposed by high density clusters of seeds all germinating at once. The four species that responded significantly to high densities individually were each treated at low densities with a leachate solution obtained from high density conspecifics. For Alysicarpus rugosus and Panicum miliaceum , this resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at simulated high densities implicating the leachate as a causative agent. Heterospecific effects were investigated similarly for A. rugosus and E. curvula by the addition of leachate from high density clusters of seeds of one species upon the other. Only A. rugosus decreased germination significantly through the addition of leachate. These results demonstrate the ability of seeds to predict environmental conditions of the habitat into which they will emerge in terms of potential competitive interactions from neighbouring seedlings.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds of Alysicarpus rugosus showed a significant decrease in the proportion germinating at high densities of conspecifics.
- Taxon
- Alysicarpus rugosus
_DC_(24067387508).jpg?width=60)
Alysicarpus rugosuse1 - Outcome
- proportion of seeds germinatinge1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Qualifier
- high densities of conspecificse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_DC_(24067387508).jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e1“seeds of Alysicarpus rugosus, Callistemon citrinus, Eragrostis curvula and Panicum miliaceum showed a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high densities of conspecifics”
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds of Callistemon citrinus showed a significant decrease in the proportion germinating at high densities of conspecifics.
- Taxon
- Callistemon citrinus
Melaleuca citrinae1 - Outcome
- proportion of seeds germinatinge1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Qualifier
- high densities of conspecificse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“seeds of Alysicarpus rugosus, Callistemon citrinus, Eragrostis curvula and Panicum miliaceum showed a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high densities of conspecifics”
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds of Eragrostis curvula showed a significant decrease in the proportion germinating at high densities of conspecifics.
- Taxon
- Eragrostis curvula
Eragrostis curvulae1 - Outcome
- proportion of seeds germinatinge1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Qualifier
- high densities of conspecificse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“seeds of Alysicarpus rugosus, Callistemon citrinus, Eragrostis curvula and Panicum miliaceum showed a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high densities of conspecifics”
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds of Panicum miliaceum showed a significant decrease in the proportion germinating at high densities of conspecifics.
- Taxon
- Panicum miliaceum
Panicum miliaceume1 - Outcome
- proportion of seeds germinatinge1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Qualifier
- high densities of conspecificse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“seeds of Alysicarpus rugosus, Callistemon citrinus, Eragrostis curvula and Panicum miliaceum showed a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high densities of conspecifics”
Claim · model-written summary
A meta-analysis across 11 of the 12 species found an overall significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high conspecific densities compared with low densities.
Verbatim
e1“grouping 11 of the 12 species together”
e2“an overall significant effect for a decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high conspecific densities compared with low con‐specific densities”
Claim · model-written summary
Leachate from high-density conspecifics applied at low density significantly decreased the proportion of Alysicarpus rugosus seeds germinating, implicating the leachate as a causative agent.
- Taxon
- Alysicarpus rugosusAlysicarpus rugosuse1
- Treatment
- leachate solution obtained from high density conspecificse2
- Outcome
- proportion of seeds germinatinge1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Qualifier
- implicating the leachate as a causative agente1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“For Alysicarpus rugosus and Panicum miliaceum , this resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at simulated high densities implicating the leachate as a causative agent”
e2“treated at low densities with a leachate solution obtained from high density conspecifics”
Claim · model-written summary
Leachate from high-density conspecifics applied at low density significantly decreased the proportion of Panicum miliaceum seeds germinating, implicating the leachate as a causative agent.
- Taxon
- Panicum miliaceumPanicum miliaceume1
- Treatment
- leachate solution obtained from high density conspecificse2
- Outcome
- proportion of seeds germinatinge1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Qualifier
- implicating the leachate as a causative agente1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“For Alysicarpus rugosus and Panicum miliaceum , this resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at simulated high densities implicating the leachate as a causative agent”
e2“treated at low densities with a leachate solution obtained from high density conspecifics”
Claim · model-written summary
Only A. rugosus significantly decreased germination with the addition of leachate from the other species (heterospecific effects).
- Taxon
- A. rugosusAlysicarpus rugosuse1
- Treatment
- addition of leachatee1
- Outcome
- germinatione1
- Direction
- decreasede1
- Qualifier
- Heterospecific effectse2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Only A. rugosus decreased germination significantly through the addition of leachate”
e2“Heterospecific effects were investigated similarly”