Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term Fertilisation
Although seed quality and quantity, as well as reproductive performance are important life history stages of plants, little is known about the reproductive responses of trees to environmental changes such as increased anthropogenic deposition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Dioecious plants are...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/6/3187 |
| _version_ | 1797470889772580864 |
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| author | Emilia Pers-Kamczyc Ewa Mąderek Jacek Kamczyc |
| author_facet | Emilia Pers-Kamczyc Ewa Mąderek Jacek Kamczyc |
| author_sort | Emilia Pers-Kamczyc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although seed quality and quantity, as well as reproductive performance are important life history stages of plants, little is known about the reproductive responses of trees to environmental changes such as increased anthropogenic deposition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Dioecious plants are good models with which to test the environmental impact on female or male reproductive responses individually. We analysed effects of different long-term nutritional availability on the reproductive performance of two dioecious species (<i>Taxus baccata</i> L. and <i>Juniperus communis</i> L.) characterised by different life histories. By using pot experiments with vegetatively propagated plants grown in different fertilisation conditions, we observed an increase in plant growth and strobili production but a decrease in seed efficiency. Seeds produced by fertilised plants had greater seed mass. Fertiliser addition did not change C or N content nor the C/N ratio of <i>T. baccata</i> seeds, but increased N content and the N/P ratio; however, it did lower the C/N ratio in <i>J. communis</i>. Fertilisation did not change the metabolite profile in <i>T. baccata</i> but 18 metabolites were changed in <i>J. communis</i>. The study revealed new links between species life history, environmental changes, and reproduction. The findings imply that future environmental conditions may alter both seed productivity, and quality, as well as plant reproductive behaviour. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:42:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4edf7ef930914e838b7dc8261a7de66b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:42:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-4edf7ef930914e838b7dc8261a7de66b2023-11-24T01:34:27ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-03-01236318710.3390/ijms23063187Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term FertilisationEmilia Pers-Kamczyc0Ewa Mąderek1Jacek Kamczyc2Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035 Kórnik, PolandInstitute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035 Kórnik, PolandFaculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, PolandAlthough seed quality and quantity, as well as reproductive performance are important life history stages of plants, little is known about the reproductive responses of trees to environmental changes such as increased anthropogenic deposition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Dioecious plants are good models with which to test the environmental impact on female or male reproductive responses individually. We analysed effects of different long-term nutritional availability on the reproductive performance of two dioecious species (<i>Taxus baccata</i> L. and <i>Juniperus communis</i> L.) characterised by different life histories. By using pot experiments with vegetatively propagated plants grown in different fertilisation conditions, we observed an increase in plant growth and strobili production but a decrease in seed efficiency. Seeds produced by fertilised plants had greater seed mass. Fertiliser addition did not change C or N content nor the C/N ratio of <i>T. baccata</i> seeds, but increased N content and the N/P ratio; however, it did lower the C/N ratio in <i>J. communis</i>. Fertilisation did not change the metabolite profile in <i>T. baccata</i> but 18 metabolites were changed in <i>J. communis</i>. The study revealed new links between species life history, environmental changes, and reproduction. The findings imply that future environmental conditions may alter both seed productivity, and quality, as well as plant reproductive behaviour.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/6/3187seed massseeds metabolomeseed sizeEnglish yewcommon junipernutritional availability |
| spellingShingle | Emilia Pers-Kamczyc Ewa Mąderek Jacek Kamczyc Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term Fertilisation International Journal of Molecular Sciences seed mass seeds metabolome seed size English yew common juniper nutritional availability |
| title | Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term Fertilisation |
| title_full | Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term Fertilisation |
| title_fullStr | Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term Fertilisation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term Fertilisation |
| title_short | Seed Quantity or Quality?—Reproductive Responses of Females of Two Dioecious Woody Species to Long-Term Fertilisation |
| title_sort | seed quantity or quality reproductive responses of females of two dioecious woody species to long term fertilisation |
| topic | seed mass seeds metabolome seed size English yew common juniper nutritional availability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/6/3187 |
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