Latitudinal variation in seeds characteristics of Acer platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus

M. M. CARÓN; P. DE FRENNE; J. BRUNET; O. CHABRERIE; S. A. O. COUSINS; L. DE BACKER; M. DIEKMANN; B. J. GRAAE; T. HEINKEN; A. KOLB; T. NAAF; J. PLUE; F. SELVI; G. R. STRIMBECK; M. WULF; K. VERHEYEN

PLANT ECOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Dordrecht; Año: 2014 vol. 215 p. 911 - 925

1385-0237

Climate change will likely affect population dynamics of numerous plant species by  modifying several aspects of the life cycle. Because plant regeneration from seeds may be particularly vulnerable, here we assess the possible effects of climate change on seed characteristics and present an integrated analysis of seven seed traits (nutrient concentrations, samara mass, seed mass, wing length, seed viability, germination percentage, and seedling biomass) of Acer platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus seeds collected along a wide latitudinal gradient from Italy to Norway. Seed traits were analyzed in relation to the environmental conditions experienced by the mother trees along the latitudinal gradient. We found that seed traits of A. platanoides were more influencedby the climatic conditions than those of A. pseudoplatanus. Additionally, seed viability, germination percentage, and seedling biomass of A. platanoides were strongly related to the seed mass and nutrient concentration. While A. platanoides seeds were more influenced by the environmental conditions (generally negatively affected by rising temperatures), compared to A. pseudoplatanus, A. platanoides still showed higher germination percentage and seedling biomass than A. pseudoplatanus. Thus, further research on subsequent life-history stages of both species is needed. The variation in seed quality observed alongthe climatic gradient highlights the importance of studying the possible impact of climate change