Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:02:06.744Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A comparative study on temperature and water potential thresholds for the germination of Betula pendula and two Mediterranean endemic birches, Betula aetnensis and Betula fontqueri

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2021

V. Ranno Open the ORCID record for V. Ranno [Opens in a new window] ,
C. Blandino  and
G. Giusso del Galdo
V. Ranno*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali, Università Degli Studi Di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129Catania, Italy
C. Blandino
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali, Università Degli Studi Di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129Catania, Italy
G. Giusso del Galdo
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali, Università Degli Studi Di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129Catania, Italy
*
Author for Correspondence: V. Ranno, E-mail: veronicaranno@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The influence of temperature and water availability on seed germination can vary across the geographic range of species with a large distribution. Betula pendula is a widely spread European tree that has differentiated into two narrowly distributed taxa, endemic to Mediterranean mountains: Betula aetnensis in Sicily and B. fontqueri in Spain and Morocco. We tested the hypothesis that the regeneration niche, expressed by temperature and water potential thresholds, varies across these species and is influenced by the local climate. Seeds were collected from six populations of B. pendula, one of B. fontqueri and two of B. aetnensis. Germination tests were conducted between 5 and 30°C. The thermal thresholds were calculated before and after cold stratification. The osmotic potential tested ranged from 0 to −1.5 MPa. Time to reach 30 and 50% of germination was calculated by fitting non-linear models. Germination was promoted by high temperatures, but the response to stratification was heterogeneous. Tb and Ψb differed between and within species. Tb ranged between 2.22 and 8.94°C for unstratified seeds. Mediterranean species had higher drought tolerance, while B. pendula showed contrasting responses to low water potential. Ψb reached a minimum value of −1.15 MPa in B. fontqueri. High temperatures influenced the Tb of unstratified seeds negatively, while, after stratification, the Tb increased with precipitation in the driest month. The heterogeneity observed could reflect higher genetic variability in marginal populations of silver birch. Knowledge of their germination ecology may be useful to mitigate future impacts of climate change on core populations of B. pendula.

Keywords

base temperaturebase water potentialBetula sspcomparative germination ecologyendemic speciesregeneration nicheseed germination
Type
Research Paper
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 30 , Special Issue 4: Functional Seed Ecology , December 2020 , pp. 249 - 261
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abeli, T, Gentili, R, Mondoni, A, Orsenigo, S and Rossi, G (2014) Effects of marginality on plant population performance. Journal of Biogeography 41, 239–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arène, F, Affre, L, Doxa, A and Saatkamp, A (2017) Temperature but not moisture response of germination shows phylogenetic constraints while both interact with seed mass and lifespan. Seed Science Research 27, 110–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ashburner, K, McAllister, HA and Hague, J (2013) The genus Betula: A taxonomic revision of birches. London, Kew Publishing.Google Scholar
Bagnato, S, La Piana, V, Mercurio, R, Merlino, A, Scarfò, F, Sciascia, N, Solano, F and Spampinato, G (2014) Dinamiche evolutive in boschi cedui di betulla (Betula aetnensis Rafin) nel Monte Etna (Sicilia). Forest@ – Journal of Silviculture and Forest Ecology 11, 52.Google Scholar
Biondi, E and Baldoni, M (1984) A contribution to the knowledge of Betula aetnensis Rafin through an anatomic and morphometric study of its wood. Webbia 38, 623–637.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanca, G, Cabezudo, B, Henández-Bermejo, JE, Herrera, CM, Molero Mesa, J, Muñoz, J and Valdés, B (1999) Betula pendula subsp. fontqueri, pp. 71–74 in Libro Rojo de la flora silvestre amenazada de Andalucía. Tomo I: Especies en peligro de extinción. Sevilla, Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucia.Google Scholar
Boydak, M, Dirik, H, Tilki, F and Çalikoglu, M (2003) Effects of water stress on germination in six provenances of Pinus brutia seeds from different bioclimatic zones in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 27, 91–97.Google Scholar
Cabiaux, C and Devillez, F (1977) Etude de l'influence des facteurs du milieu sur la germination et la levee des plantules du bouleau pubescent. Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique/Bulletin van de Koninklijke Belgische Botanische Vereniging 110, 96–112.Google Scholar
Calabrese, S, Aiuppa, A, Allard, P, Bagnato, E, Bellomo, S, Brusca, L, D'Alessandro, W and Parello, F (2011) Atmospheric sources and sinks of volcanogenic elements in a basaltic volcano (Etna, Italy). Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 75, 7401–7425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chamorro, D, Luna, B, Ourcival, JM, Kavgacı, A, Sirca, C, Mouillot, F and Moreno, JM (2017) Germination sensitivity to water stress in four shrubby species across the Mediterranean basin. Plant Biology 19, 23–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choinski, JS Jr and Tuohy, JM (1991) Effect of water potential and temperature on the germination of four species of African savanna trees. Annals of Botany 68, 227–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Covell, S, Ellis, RH, Roberts, EH and Summerfield, RJ (1986) The influence of temperature on seed germination rate in grain legumes. Journal of Experimental Botany 37, 705–715.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daws, MI, Lydall, E, Chmielarz, P, Leprince, O, Matthews, S, Thanos, CA and Pritchard, HW (2004) Developmental heat sum influences recalcitrant seed traits in Aesculus hippocastanum across Europe. New Phytologist 162, 157–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Dato, GD, Teani, A, Mattioni, C, Aravanopoulos, F, Avramido, EV, Stojnic, S and Ducci, F (2020) Genetic analysis by nuSSR markers of silver Birch (Betula pendula Roth) populations in their Southern European distribution range. Frontiers in Plant Science 11, 310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dürr, C, Dickie, JB, Yang, XY and Pritchard, HW (2015) Ranges of critical temperature and water potential values for the germination of species worldwide: contribution to a seed trait database. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 200, 222–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, RH, Covell, S, Roberts, EH and Summerfield, RJ (1986) The influence of temperature on seed germination rate in grain legumes. II. Intraspecific variation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) at constant temperatures. Journal of Experimental Botany 37, 1503–1515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, CE and Etherington, JR (1990) The effect of soil water potential on seed germination of some British plants. New Phytologist 115, 539–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falusi, M, Calamassi, R and Tocci, A (1983) Sensitivity of seed germination and seedling root growth to moisture stress in four provenances of Pinus halepensis Mill. Silvae Genetica 32, 4–9.Google Scholar
Fick, SE and Hijmans, RJ (2017) Worldclim 2: new 1-km spatial resolution climate surfaces for global land areas. International Journal of Climatology 37, 4302–4315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcıa-Ramos, G and Kirkpatrick, M (1997) Genetic models of adaptation and gene flow in peripheral populations. Evolution 51, 21–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garcia-Huidobro, J, Monteith, JL and Squire, GR (1982) Time, temperature and germination of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides S. and H.). Journal of Experimental Botany 33, 288–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grubb, PJ (1977) The maintenance of species-richness in plant communities: the importance of the regeneration niche. Biological Reviews 52, 107–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hegarty, TW (1978) The physiology of seed hydration and dehydration, and the relation between water stress and control of germination: a review. Plant Cell & Environment 1, 101–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaufmann, MR (1969) Effects of water potential on germination of lettuce, sunflower, and citrus seeds. Canadian Journal of Botany 47, 1761–1764.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khera, N and Singh, RP (2005) Germination of some multipurpose tree species in five provenances in response to variation in light, temperature, substrate and water stress. Tropical Ecology 46, 203–218.Google Scholar
Leonardi, S, Rapp, M, Failla, M and Komaromy, E (1994) Organic matter and nutrient cycling within an endemic birch stand in the Etna massif (Sicily): Betula aetnensis Rafin. Vegetatio 111, 45–57.Google Scholar
Levin, DA (1993) Local speciation in plants: the rule not the exception. Systematic Botany 18, 197–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martín, C, Parra, T, Clemente-Muñoz, M and Hernandez-Bermejo, JE (2008) Genetic diversity and structure of the endangered Betula pendula subsp. fontqueri populations in the south of Spain. Silva Fennica 42, 487–498.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meusel, H, Jäger, EJ and Weinert, E (1965) Vergleichende chorologie der zentraleuropaischen flora. Albershausen, G. Fischer.Google Scholar
Michel, BE (1983) Evaluation of the water potentials of solutions of polyethylene glycol 8000 both in the absence and presence of other solutes. Plant Physiology 72, 66–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Midmore, EK, McCartan, SA, Jinks, RL and Cahalan, CM (2015) Using thermal time models to predict germination of five provenances of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in southern England. Silva Fennica 49, 1266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morales-Molino, C, Tinner, W, Perea, R, Carrión, JS, Colombaroli, D, Valbuena-Carabaña, M, Zafra, E and Gil, L (2019) Unprecedented herbivory threatens rear-edge populations of Betula in southwestern Eurasia. Ecology 100, e02833.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palmé, A (2003) Evolutionary history and chloroplast DNA variation in three plant genera: Betula, Corylus and Salix: the impact of post-glacial colonisation and hybridization. Doctoral dissertation, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis.Google Scholar
Pavari, A (1956) Betula. Monti e Boschi 7, 521–530.Google Scholar
Peinado, M and Moreno, G (1989) The genus Betula (Betulaceae) in the Sistema Central (Spain). Willdenowia 18, 343–359.Google Scholar
Picciau, R, Pritchard, HW, Mattana, E and Bacchetta, G (2019) Thermal thresholds for seed germination in Mediterranean species are higher in mountain compared with lowland areas. Seed Science Research 29, 44–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pignatti, S (1982) Flora d'ltalia. Bologna, Edagricole.Google Scholar
Plini, P and Tondi, G (1989) La distribuzione appenninica della Betulla bianca. Natura e Montagna 36, 21–28.Google Scholar
Porceddu, M, Mattana, E, Pritchard, HW and Bacchetta, G (2013) Thermal niche for in situ seed germination by Mediterranean mountain streams: model prediction and validation for Rhamnus persicifolia seeds. Annals of Botany 112, 1887–1897.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pritchard, HW and Manger, KR (1990) Quantal response of fruit and seed germination rate in Quercus robur L. and Castanea sativa Mill., to constant temperatures and photon dose. Journal of Experimental Botany 41, 1549–1557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
R Core Team. (2019) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Available at: https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-release/fullrefman.pdf.Google Scholar
Ritz, C and Streibig, JC (2005) Bioassay analysis using R. Journal of Statistical Software 12, 1–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seal, CE, Daws, MI, Flores, J, Ortega-Baes, P, Galíndez, G, León-Lobos, P, Sandoval, A, Ceroni Stuva, A, Ramírez Bullón, N, Dávila-Aranda, P, Ordoñez-Salanueva, CA, Yáñez-Espinosa, L, Ulian, T, Amosso, C, Zubani, L, Torres Bilbao, A and Pritchard, HW (2017) Thermal buffering capacity of the germination phenotype across the environmental envelope of the Cactaceae. Global Change Biology 23, 5309–5317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sexton, JP, McIntyre, PJ, Angert, AL and Rice, KJ (2009) Evolution and ecology of species range limits. Annual Reviews of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 40, 415–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, ML (1973) Simulation of drought and its effect on germination of five pasture species. Agronomy Journal 65, 982–987.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strano, F (2010) Betula aetnensis Raf. nel Parco Naturale dell'Etna: analisi vegetazionale ed ecologica. Catania, Università degli studi di Catania.Google Scholar
Strano, F and Poli Marchese, E (2011) Ecologia della germinazione in Betula aetnensis Raf. BMIB-Bollettino dei Musei e degli Istituti Biologici 73, 188.Google Scholar
Thompson, K and Ooi, MK (2010) To germinate or not to germinate: more than just a question of dormancy. Seed Science Research 20, 209–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tudela-Isanta, M, Ladouceur, E, Wijayasinghe, M, Pritchard, HW and Mondoni, A (2018) The seed germination niche limits the distribution of some plant species in calcareous or siliceous alpine bedrocks. Alpine Botany 128, 83–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tutin, TG, Heywood, VH, Burges, NA, Valentine, DH, Walters, SM and Webb, DA (1964) Flora Europea: Volume 2. Cambridge, University Press.Google Scholar
Vanhatalo, V, Leinonen, K, Rita, H and Nygren, M (1996) Effect of prechilling on the dormancy of Betula pendula seeds. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 26, 1203–1208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walck, JL, Hidayati, SN, Dixon, KW, Thompson, K and Poschlod, P (2011) Climate change and plant regeneration from seed. Global Change Biology 17, 2145–2161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walters, SM (1964) Oak woods and birch woods. Proceedings of the Botanical Society of the British Isles 7, 179–180.Google Scholar