Abstract
Context The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae) is endemic to the Neotropics, threatened with extinction in Brazil. Historical commercial exploitation, the slow growth of the species, and ongoing loss of forest habitat impose significant pressures, whereas its reproductive capacity remains poorly understood. Aims To (1) understand the relationship between spore production and maturation and environmental factors, and (2) evaluate in vitro germination and plantlet development from spores matured in different months to assess temporal reproductive variation. Methods Over a 12-month period, 25 individuals were monitored monthly to record fertile leaves with immature sporangia (FL-IS) and fertile leaves with mature, closed sporangia (FL-MS). Temperature, precipitation, photoperiod, and soil moisture were correlated with phenophases. In vitro spore germination and gametophytic development were assessed. Key results Temperature showed a positive relation with the percentage of plants bearing FL-IS and a negative relation with FL-MS. FL-MS were negatively associated with photoperiod and positively with precipitation. Highest spore germination rates were observed in winter and early spring, with successful gametophyte development in vitro and sporophyte formation on substrate under greenhouse conditions. Conclusions D. sellowiana has been observed to allocate the warmer months of the year to spore production, with spore maturation occurring during periods of lower temperatures, particularly in winter, within the Brazilian subtropical climate. Implications The reproductive pattern described here highlights the importance of low temperatures for spore maturation, which should be carefully considered when assessing population renewal under climate change scenarios and in efforts aimed at the conservation of the species.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Temperature was positively related to plants with immature fertile sporangia.
- Taxon
- Dicksonia sellowiana
Dicksonia sellowianae0 - Treatment
- Temperaturee1
- Outcome
- percentage of plants bearing FL-ISe1
- Direction
- positivee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae)”
e1“Temperature showed a positive relation with the percentage of plants bearing FL-IS”
Claim · model-written summary
Temperature was negatively related to plants with mature closed sporangia.
- Taxon
- Dicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowianae0
- Treatment
- Temperaturee1
- Outcome
- FL-MSe1
- Direction
- negativee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae)”
e1“Temperature showed a positive relation with the percentage of plants bearing FL-IS and a negative relation with FL-MS”
Claim · model-written summary
Mature fertile sporangia were negatively associated with photoperiod.
- Taxon
- Dicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowianae0
- Treatment
- photoperiode1
- Outcome
- FL-MSe1
- Direction
- negativelye1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae)”
e1“FL-MS were negatively associated with photoperiod”
Claim · model-written summary
Mature fertile sporangia were positively associated with precipitation.
- Taxon
- Dicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowianae0
- Treatment
- precipitatione1
- Outcome
- FL-MSe1
- Direction
- positivelye1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae)”
e1“FL-MS were negatively associated with photoperiod and positively with precipitation”
Claim · model-written summary
Spore germination rates were highest in winter and early spring.
- Taxon
- Dicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowianae0
- Outcome
- spore germination ratese1
- Direction
- Higheste1
- Setting
- winter and early springe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae)”
e1“Highest spore germination rates were observed in winter and early spring”
Claim · model-written summary
Gametophytes developed successfully in vitro.
- Taxon
- Dicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowianae0
- Outcome
- successful gametophyte developmente1
- Setting
- in vitroe1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae)”
e1“successful gametophyte development in vitro”
Claim · model-written summary
Sporophytes formed on substrate in greenhouse conditions.
- Taxon
- Dicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowianae0
- Outcome
- sporophyte formatione1
- Setting
- greenhouse conditionse1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tree fern Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae)”
e1“sporophyte formation on substrate under greenhouse conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors infer spore production in warmer months and maturation in cooler periods, particularly winter.
- Taxon
- D. sellowianaDicksonia sellowianae0
- Outcome
- spore production, with spore maturatione0
- Qualifier
- warmer months of the yeare0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“D. sellowiana has been observed to allocate the warmer months of the year to spore production, with spore maturation occurring during periods of lower temperatures, particularly in winter”