Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central Asia
IntroductionFruit wings serve various ecological functions, including facilitating wind dispersal, providing physical protection to seeds, and regulating seed germination. While many studies have reported the role of fruit wings in plants, little is known about their protective function during fruit...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1267714/full |
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| author | Kaiqing Xie Kaiqing Xie Juan Qiu Jannathan Mamut Jannathan Mamut Yuting Li Dunyan Tan |
| author_facet | Kaiqing Xie Kaiqing Xie Juan Qiu Jannathan Mamut Jannathan Mamut Yuting Li Dunyan Tan |
| author_sort | Kaiqing Xie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionFruit wings serve various ecological functions, including facilitating wind dispersal, providing physical protection to seeds, and regulating seed germination. While many studies have reported the role of fruit wings in plants, little is known about their protective function during fruit development.MethodsIn this study, winged fruits damaged by insects in natural populations of three Zygophyllum species (Z. potaninii, Z. lehmannianum and Z. macropterum) were investigated. We measured and compared the percentage of damaged winged fruits, seed set, seed mass, seed germination, and seedling growth of different insect herbivory categories.ResultsThe results revealed that the percentage of winged fruits with damaged wings only (low predation) was significantly higher than that of with damaged both fruit wings and fruit bodies (high predation). Furthermore, winged fruits with low predation had significant higher seed set, seed mass, seed germination, and dry mass and relative growth rate (RGR) in the seedlings which grown from the seeds, than that from winged fruits with high predation.DiscussionThese results demonstrate that the presence of the fruit wings may provide protection for the seeds to alleviate harm from insect predation before dispersal. These findings provide new insights into the function of fruit wings and the reproductive strategies of desert plants. |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-17a7c1789b4b4fc99c60992e81f4389a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:33:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-17a7c1789b4b4fc99c60992e81f4389a2023-11-14T13:15:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2023-11-011410.3389/fpls.2023.12677141267714Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central AsiaKaiqing Xie0Kaiqing Xie1Juan Qiu2Jannathan Mamut3Jannathan Mamut4Yuting Li5Dunyan Tan6Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Western Arid Region Grassland Resources and Ecology, College of Grassland Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory for Ecological Adaptation and Evolution of Extreme Environment Biology, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory for Ecological Adaptation and Evolution of Extreme Environment Biology, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Western Arid Region Grassland Resources and Ecology, College of Grassland Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory for Ecological Adaptation and Evolution of Extreme Environment Biology, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory for Ecological Adaptation and Evolution of Extreme Environment Biology, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory for Ecological Adaptation and Evolution of Extreme Environment Biology, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, ChinaIntroductionFruit wings serve various ecological functions, including facilitating wind dispersal, providing physical protection to seeds, and regulating seed germination. While many studies have reported the role of fruit wings in plants, little is known about their protective function during fruit development.MethodsIn this study, winged fruits damaged by insects in natural populations of three Zygophyllum species (Z. potaninii, Z. lehmannianum and Z. macropterum) were investigated. We measured and compared the percentage of damaged winged fruits, seed set, seed mass, seed germination, and seedling growth of different insect herbivory categories.ResultsThe results revealed that the percentage of winged fruits with damaged wings only (low predation) was significantly higher than that of with damaged both fruit wings and fruit bodies (high predation). Furthermore, winged fruits with low predation had significant higher seed set, seed mass, seed germination, and dry mass and relative growth rate (RGR) in the seedlings which grown from the seeds, than that from winged fruits with high predation.DiscussionThese results demonstrate that the presence of the fruit wings may provide protection for the seeds to alleviate harm from insect predation before dispersal. These findings provide new insights into the function of fruit wings and the reproductive strategies of desert plants.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1267714/fullfruit wingsinsect herbivoryprotective functionseed developmentseedling growthZygophyllum |
| spellingShingle | Kaiqing Xie Kaiqing Xie Juan Qiu Jannathan Mamut Jannathan Mamut Yuting Li Dunyan Tan Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central Asia Frontiers in Plant Science fruit wings insect herbivory protective function seed development seedling growth Zygophyllum |
| title | Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central Asia |
| title_full | Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central Asia |
| title_fullStr | Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central Asia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central Asia |
| title_short | Protection against insect predation during fruit development: the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of Zygophyllum in the cold desert of Central Asia |
| title_sort | protection against insect predation during fruit development the role of fleshy fruit wings of three species of zygophyllum in the cold desert of central asia |
| topic | fruit wings insect herbivory protective function seed development seedling growth Zygophyllum |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1267714/full |
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