A hypothesis by David L. Mulcahy published in Science in 1979 on pollen competition as an important force in the evolution of flowering plant diversity, via selection of favourable genes in the microgametophyte that are passed on to, and inherited in, the sporophyte, stimulated quite a bit of research on the topic. The primary aim of this opinion paper is to assess the evidence for the effect of microgametophyte competition on the sporophyte, with particular reference to seed germination. Pollen competition was associated with an increase in seed germination in 14 of 30 case studies (30 published papers). Seed mass was related to better germination in only two of the 14 cases in which there was a positive effect of pollen competition on germination. An evaluation of the four criteria that must be met to validate Mulcahy's hypothesis cast some doubt on the significance of pollen competition as an important selective force in the diversification of angiosperms. Insect pollination, via which many pollen grains are deposited on a stigma, may not be the answer to Darwin's ‘abominable mystery’ concerning the reason for the abrupt origin and rapid diversification of flowering plants during the Cretaceous.

Optimal sample sizes under a budget constraint for estimating a proportion in a two-stage sampling process have been derived using individual testing. However, when group testing is used, these optimal sample sizes are not appropriate. In this study, optimal sample sizes at the cluster and individual levels are derived for group testing. First, optimal allocations of clusters and individuals are obtained under the assumption of equal cluster sizes. Second, we obtain the relative efficiency (RE) of unequal versus equal cluster sizes when estimating the average population proportion, $$\tilde {>\pi } $$ $$ . By multiplying the sample of clusters obtained assuming equal cluster size by the inverse of the RE, we adjust the sample size required in the context of unequal cluster sizes. We also show the adjustments that need to be made to allocate clusters and individuals correctly in order to estimate the required budget and achieve a certain power or precision.

Ecological (climatic and geographic) variation in early life-history transitions is a vital determinant of the adaptive evolution of timing of seed germination. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between timing of seed germination and environmental conditions during seed development. We examined seed germination timing of 15 coniferous seed lots of lodgepole pine, ‘interior’ spruce and western hemlock collected from natural stands in British Columbia (BC), Canada, under manipulated [stratification, thermo-priming (15 or 20°C) and their combinations] and non-manipulated (control) conditions. Timing of seed germination showed strong and positive correlation with the temperature-based environmental condition during seed development. This pattern persisted across species and seed lots within species, substantiating the historic importance of environmental conditions during seed development and maturation to life-history traits. Moreover, the strategy of phenotypic plasticity affecting timing of seed germination was observed across the applied germination treatments. These results provide insight into the germination niche as affected by global warming, indicating that conifers' seed dormancy in BC (north of 54°N) tends to increase and the changes associated with early spring warm-up are expected to accelerate seedling emergence, as shortened winters would have a minimal effect on dormancy decay.

Seed germination requirements of Viburnum lantana were investigated by experiments both in the laboratory and outdoors. Embryo length, radicle emergence and shoot emergence were analysed to determine the level of morphophysiological dormancy (MPD) of seeds. Mean embryo length in fresh seeds was 1.30 mm, and required growth to at least 2.51 mm to germinate. The critical embryo length was 4.1 mm. In the laboratory, the embryo reached 3 mm length after 20 weeks of warm-temperature incubation (20/7 or 25/10°C), which in fact represents a combination of warm + cold stratification. In seeds subjected to cold stratification (1.5 or 5°C) for 24 weeks, embryos hardly grew. Gibberellic acid stimulated embryo growth and germination. In the outdoor phenology test, the embryos grew from 1.30 mm, i.e. fresh seeds sown in September, to 2.98 mm at the end of the following March. In the ‘move-along’ test (laboratory), starting with temperatures of warm stratification [i.e. 25/10°C (4 weeks) →  20/7°C (4 weeks) →  15/4°C (4 weeks) →  5°C (12 weeks) →  15/4°C (4 weeks)], and in the outdoor phenology study on seeds exposed to a similar temperature sequence, radicle emergence percentages reached 73% after 28 and 35 weeks, respectively. V. lantana does not exhibit a delay between root and shoot emergence, dismissing any kind of epicotyl dormancy. Seeds of V. lantana have non-deep simple MPD, a level not detected previously in the genus Viburnum, with the physiological dormancy component overcome by a combination of warm and cold stratification, preferably in that order.

The three tropical species Gomphandra luzoniensis, Nothapodytes nimmoniana and Goniothalamus amuyon contain important cancer-fighting drugs; however, little is known about how to propagate these species from seeds. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the germination requirements of seeds of each of these three species in order to provide an effective protocol to produce plants. Fresh seeds of G. luzoniensis germinated up to 73% at high temperatures in light in 4 weeks, and embryos were underdeveloped. Most seeds had morphological dormancy (MD), but a proportion of them had morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). Fresh seeds of N. nimmoniana germinated up to 50% in light in 4 weeks, embryo length increased by 17% before radicle emergence and ≥ 89% of the seeds had germinated after incubation for 6 weeks in light at high temperatures. Thus, about 50% of the seeds have MD and about 50% MPD. Fresh seeds of G. amuyon incubated at 30°C in light for 4 weeks germinated to 69%, whereas at the other incubation temperatures germination took longer than 4 weeks. Embryo length increased 213% before radicle emergence, and after 8 weeks of incubation at high temperatures ≥ 80% of the seeds had germinated. As in the other two species, the seed population consisted of a mixture of MD and MPD. Incubation of seeds of these three species at high temperatures (e.g. 25, 30 and 30/20°C) for up to 2 months is recommended for germination and thus seedling production.