Seed mass and shape, germination and plant abundance in a desertified grassland in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China

CORC > 沈阳应用生态研究所 > 中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所 > 沈阳应用生态研究所

	Seed mass and shape, germination and plant abundance in a desertified grassland in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China
	Ling, X; Liu, Z; Yan, Q; Li, X; Ma, J; Liu, Z, Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Appl Ecol, Shenyang 110016, Peoples R China
刊名	JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
	2007
卷号	69 期号:2 页码:198-211
关键词	Hay Meadow Horqin Steppe Mobile Sand Dune Pasture Seed Weight Semi-stabilized Sand Dune Stabilized Sand Dune
ISSN号	0140-1963
英文摘要	There is a little information on how seed mass or/and seed shape is associated with germination, meadow-utilizing forms and sand dune types. We collected seeds of 83 plant species (herbs and shrubs) in the desertified grassland of northeastern Inner Mongolia, China, to examine the linkage of seed mass (weight) and shape (variance of three dimensions) to germination. We also selected two types of meadows (for collecting hay and for free grazing) and three sand dune types (i.e. the mobile, the semi-stabilized and the stabilized) to examine whether relevance of seed mass and shape to plant abundance (frequency and density) changes with meadow use and sand dune types. Our results indicate that seed mass or/and shape did not differ significantly between the meadow and the sand dune, between the two types of meadow use, and between the three sand dune types. Germination percentage under standard laboratory conditions was negatively but not significantly related to seed mass, but was positively and significantly related to seed shape (p = 0.001). The relationships between seed shape and plant frequency and density were positive for each meadow use type, but were negative for each sand dune type. The relationship between seed mass and plant frequency was positive for the semi-stabilized and the mobile dunes, but was negative for each of the other meadow-utilizing forms and sand dune types. The relationship between seed mass and plant density was positive for the mobile sand dune, but was negative for each of the other meadow-utilizing forms and sand dune types. Our results suggest that (1) the relationship between seed shape and germination is closer than that between seed mass and germination in the arid temperate desertified grassland, (2) desertification or habitat shift is more likely to result in changes in the seed mass or/and seed shape-plant abundance pattern (for instance, the relationships between seed mass or/and seed shape plant abundance were positive for meadows, but were negative for sand dunes), rather than changes in the pattern of seed mass or/and seed shape (i.e. seed mass or/and shape did not differ significantly between different meadow and sand dune types); and (3) the seed mass or/and seed shape-plant abundance pattern is related to the degradation intensity of grassland. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
学科主题	Ecology ; Environmental Sciences
语种	英语
WOS记录号	WOS:000245122000002
公开日期	2011-09-23
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://210.72.129.5/handle/321005/54745]
专题	沈阳应用生态研究所_沈阳应用生态研究所
通讯作者	Liu, Z, Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Appl Ecol, Shenyang 110016, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Ling, X,Liu, Z,Yan, Q,et al. Seed mass and shape, germination and plant abundance in a desertified grassland in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China[J]. JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS,2007,69(2):198-211.
APA	Ling, X,Liu, Z,Yan, Q,Li, X,Ma, J,&Liu, Z, Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Appl Ecol, Shenyang 110016, Peoples R China.(2007).Seed mass and shape, germination and plant abundance in a desertified grassland in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China.JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS,69(2),198-211.
MLA	Ling, X,et al."Seed mass and shape, germination and plant abundance in a desertified grassland in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China".JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS 69.2(2007):198-211.