Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seeds
Invasive plants colonize new environments, become pests and cause biodiversity loss, economic loss and health damage. Senecio vulgaris L. (Common groundsel, Asteraceae), a widely distributing cosmopolitan weed in the temperate area, is reported with large populations in the north–eastern and south–w...
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PeerJ Inc.
2016-08-01
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| author | Noel Ndihokubwayo Viet-Thang Nguyen Dandan Cheng |
| author_facet | Noel Ndihokubwayo Viet-Thang Nguyen Dandan Cheng |
| author_sort | Noel Ndihokubwayo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Invasive plants colonize new environments, become pests and cause biodiversity loss, economic loss and health damage. Senecio vulgaris L. (Common groundsel, Asteraceae), a widely distributing cosmopolitan weed in the temperate area, is reported with large populations in the north–eastern and south–western part, but not in southern, central, or north-western parts of China. We studied the germination behavior of S. vulgaris to explain the distribution and the biological invasion of this species in China. We used seeds originating from six native and six invasive populations to conduct germination experiments in a climate chamber and under outdoor condition. When incubated in a climate chamber (15 °C), seeds from the majority of the populations showed >90% germination percentage (GP) and the GP was equal for seeds with a native and invasive origin. The mean germination time (MGT) was significantly different among the populations. Under outdoor conditions, significant effects of origin, storage conditions (stored at 4 °C or ambient room temperature, ca. 27 °C) and seasons (in summer or autumn) were observed on the GP while the MGT was only affected by the season. In autumn, the GP (38.6%) was higher and the MGT was slightly longer than that in summer. In autumn, seeds stored at 4 °C showed higher GP than those stored at ambient room temperature (ca.27 °C), and seeds from invasive populations revealed higher GP than those from native populations. The results implied that the high temperature in summer has a negative impact on the germination and might cause viability loss or secondary dormancy to S. vulgaris seeds. Our study offers a clue to exploring what factor limits the distribution of S. vulgaris in China by explaining why, in the cities in South-East China and central China such as Wuhan, S. vulgaris cannot establish natural and viable populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:29:00Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:29:00Z |
| publishDate | 2016-08-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-8c0df97f2b6c425ea2a1c51b032b92892023-12-03T11:10:16ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592016-08-014e234610.7717/peerj.2346Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seedsNoel Ndihokubwayo0Viet-Thang Nguyen1Dandan Cheng2School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, ChinaSchool of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, ChinaInvasive plants colonize new environments, become pests and cause biodiversity loss, economic loss and health damage. Senecio vulgaris L. (Common groundsel, Asteraceae), a widely distributing cosmopolitan weed in the temperate area, is reported with large populations in the north–eastern and south–western part, but not in southern, central, or north-western parts of China. We studied the germination behavior of S. vulgaris to explain the distribution and the biological invasion of this species in China. We used seeds originating from six native and six invasive populations to conduct germination experiments in a climate chamber and under outdoor condition. When incubated in a climate chamber (15 °C), seeds from the majority of the populations showed >90% germination percentage (GP) and the GP was equal for seeds with a native and invasive origin. The mean germination time (MGT) was significantly different among the populations. Under outdoor conditions, significant effects of origin, storage conditions (stored at 4 °C or ambient room temperature, ca. 27 °C) and seasons (in summer or autumn) were observed on the GP while the MGT was only affected by the season. In autumn, the GP (38.6%) was higher and the MGT was slightly longer than that in summer. In autumn, seeds stored at 4 °C showed higher GP than those stored at ambient room temperature (ca.27 °C), and seeds from invasive populations revealed higher GP than those from native populations. The results implied that the high temperature in summer has a negative impact on the germination and might cause viability loss or secondary dormancy to S. vulgaris seeds. Our study offers a clue to exploring what factor limits the distribution of S. vulgaris in China by explaining why, in the cities in South-East China and central China such as Wuhan, S. vulgaris cannot establish natural and viable populations.https://peerj.com/articles/2346.pdfSeed viabilityInvasive plantDistributionGermination percentageMean germination timeDormancy |
| spellingShingle | Noel Ndihokubwayo Viet-Thang Nguyen Dandan Cheng Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seeds PeerJ Seed viability Invasive plant Distribution Germination percentage Mean germination time Dormancy |
| title | Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seeds |
| title_full | Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seeds |
| title_fullStr | Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seeds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seeds |
| title_short | Effects of origin, seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae) seeds |
| title_sort | effects of origin seasons and storage under different temperatures on germination of senecio vulgaris asteraceae seeds |
| topic | Seed viability Invasive plant Distribution Germination percentage Mean germination time Dormancy |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/2346.pdf |
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