Variations in seed morphology and germination of Primula denticulata along an elevational gradient in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan, China

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0234

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims This study aimed to investigate intraspecific variations in seed morphology and germination traits of Primula denticulataacross an elevational gradient in a mountain ecosystem, providing insights into ecological adaptations of plants to environmental changes.
Methods Seeds from 13 P. denticulatapopulations were collected along an elevational gradient of 2 180-3 451 m in the Gaoligong Mountains of southwestern Yunnan in China. We measured a variety of seed traits, including length, width, width-to-length ratio, perimeter, area, biomass, optimum germination temperature (T_o), germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT), variance in germination rate (VGR) and germination synchronization (GS) at the optimum temperature. Then, we tested relationships between these seed traits and elevation.
Important findings Results showed that: (1) Seed width, area and biomass of P. denticulata increased significantly with increasing elevation, while seed length, width-to-length ratio and perimeter were not significantly associated with elevation. (2) T_o and GS decreased significantly with increasing elevation, and MGT at T_o increased significantly with increasing elevation. No significant relationships were found between GP and VGR and elevation. (3) Elevation had a significant positive effect on seed width, area, and biomass, and variations in these morphological traits contributed to longer MGT and reduced GS along the elevational gradient. These findings show that the width and biomass of P. denticulata seeds increased with elevation, leading to delayed germination and lower synchronization, suggesting that high-elevation populations tend to adopt a “long bet” germination strategy.

Key words: functional traits, Gaoligong Mountains, elevational gradient, ecological adaptation

CHEN Kai, YANG Yan, XU Ling, JIANG Zhong-Hua. Variations in seed morphology and germination of Primula denticulata along an elevational gradient in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2025, 49(7): 1119-1127.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0234

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2025/V49/I7/1119

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 Variations in seed morphological traits of Primula denticulata along the elevation gradient in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan. All variables were z-standardized.

Fig. 2 Variations in seed germination traits of Primula denticulata along the elevation gradient in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan. Germination percentage was converted by arcsine, and other variables were z-standardized. GP, germination percentage; GS, germination synchronization; MGT, mean germination time; To, optimum germination temperature; VGR, variance in germination rate.

Fig. 3 The 11 principal axes (PC) of principal component analysis (PCA) (A) of Primula denticulata seed traits in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan and the ordering of the samples on PC 1, 2 and 3 (B).

Table 1 Loading coefficients of Primula denticulata seed morphological and germination traits on principal axes 1, 2 and 3 of principal component (PC) analysis in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan

性状 Trait	PC1	PC2	PC3
Length	0.20	-0.55	0.19
Width	0.37	-0.01	-0.25
W/L	0.17	0.45	-0.43
Area	0.40	0.11	-0.08
Perimeter	0.31	-0.43	0.02
Biomass	0.37	0.21	-0.01
GP	0.25	-0.23	-0.39
MGT	0.36	-0.08	0.28
VGR	0.01	-0.26	-0.60
GS	-0.28	-0.32	-0.16
T_o	-0.37	-0.14	-0.32

Fig. 4 Changes of principal axes (PC) 1, 2 and 3 of Primula denticulata seed traits along the elevation gradient in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan. Elevation was z-standardized.

Fig. 5 Structural equation models for the effects of elevation on Primula denticulata seed morphology (A), GS (B) and MGT (C) in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan. One-way arrows indicate regression, and two-way arrows indicate correlation. The regression or correlation coefficients were shown and represented by the thickness of the arrows. Green and red arrows represent positive and negative regression effects or correlations, respectively. *, ** and *** indicate p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively. GS, germination synchronization; MGT, mean germination time; To, optimum temperature.

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