Seed germination behaviour of the narrow endemic Daphne arbuscula (Thymelaeaceae) compared to the more widespread Daphne cneorum.

Di Sacco, Alice; Gajdošová, Zuzana; Slovák, Marek; Turisová, Ingrid; Turis, Peter; Kučera, Jaromír; Müller, Jonas V.

Seed germination behaviour of the narrow endemic Daphne arbuscula (Thymelaeaceae) compared to the more widespread Daphne cneorum.

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Journal article

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Di Sacco, Alice

Gajdošová, Zuzana

Slovák, Marek

Turisová, Ingrid

Turis, Peter

Kučera, Jaromír

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Müller, Jonas V.

ORCID

Date published

March 2021

Abstract

Diminished reproduction success in species with narrow distribution ranges might be one of the factors responsible for their limited dispersal and colonization abilities. We investigated here various aspects of the seed biology of the West Carpathian endemic (Thymelaeaceae) and compared it with its more widespread relative . In both species, we investigated (i) differences in seed viability and germination ability; (ii) differences between the two observed fruit morphotype groups, and (iii) the effect of cold stratification in breaking seed dormancy and enhance germination in stored seeds. To determine seed viability, a tetrazolium test and an imbibed cut test were performed. Several seed germination tests with gibberellic acid and with a sequence of cold and warm stratification, using different temperatures and durations, were carried out. We uncovered that (i) seeds show significantly lower viability than seeds, but this difference is due to the smaller-fruit morphotype; (ii) seed quality and viability of the big-fruit morphotype are significantly greater than the smaller-fruit morphotype in both species, although the seed viability of the latter is not null and the dormancy level seems to differ between them; (iii) a warm stratification at 15°C for 13 weeks, followed by cold stratification at either 0 or 5°C for 28 weeks, followed by 4 weeks at 15°C, break physiological dormancy and allow the majority of seeds of (63%) to germinate. We recommend including both fruit morphotypes when collecting seed of for conservation and reintroduction initiatives, to maintain the original genetic diversity of the species.