Huang, Z., Footitt, Steven, Tang, A. and Finch-Savage, William E. (2018) Predicted global warming scenarios impact on the mother plant to alter seed dormancy and germination behaviour in Arabidopsis. Plant, Cell & Environment, 41 (1). pp. 187-197. doi:10.1111/pce.13082 ISSN 0140-7791.

Preview

PDF WRAP-global-warming-impact-mother-plant-seed-dormancy-germination-arabidopsis-Finch-Savage-2018.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (1860Kb) | Preview

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

Seed characteristics are key components of plant fitness that are influenced by temperature in their maternal environment, and temperature will change with global warming. To study the effect of such temperature changes, Arabidopsis thaliana plants were grown to produce seeds along a uniquely designed polyethylene tunnel having a thermal gradient reflecting local global warming predictions. Plants therefore experienced the same variations in temperature and light conditions but different mean temperatures. A range of seed-related plant fitness estimates were measured. There were dramatic non-linear temperature effects on the germination behaviour in two contrasting ecotypes. Maternal temperatures lower than 15–16 °C resulted in significantly greater primary dormancy. In addition, the impact of nitrate in the growing media on dormancy was shown only by seeds produced below 15–16 °C. However, there were no consistent effects on seed yield, number, or size. Effects on germination behaviour were shown to be a species characteristic responding to temperature and not time of year. Elevating temperature above this critical value during seed development has the potential to dramatically alter the timing of subsequent seed germination and the proportion entering the soil seed bank. This has potential consequences for the whole plant life cycle and species fitness.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Journal or Publication Title:	Plant, Cell & Environment
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
ISSN:	0140-7791
Official Date:	January 2018
Dates:	Date Event January 2018 Published 17 October 2017 Available 18 September 2017 Accepted 19 August 2017 Modified
Volume:	41
Number:	1
Page Range:	pp. 187-197
DOI:	10.1111/pce.13082
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Date of first compliant deposit:	21 December 2017
Date of first compliant Open Access:	17 October 2018

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads