Obstacles affecting seedling germination and reproductive success of the critically endangered species Abies beshanzuensis

IF 3.5 2区 环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Lifang Zhang , Yougui Wu , Jie Feng , Yang Zhang , Aya Hafsi , Donghao Wu , Jinliang Liu , Boliang Wei , Hongfei Lv , Mingjian Yu
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Abstract

Abies beshanzuensis M. H. Wu is a critically endangered plant with only three wild mother trees in the world, it has a small distribution range limited to Baishanzu National Park, and its natural regeneration has been extremely low, with fewer than three seedlings appearing from 2007 to 2017. Despite the critically endangered status in China, little is known about the obstacles affecting the natural regeneration and reproduction of this species. In our study, we investigated various factors that could influence seed germination, seedling growth, seed quality, and overall production throughout the life cycle of A. beshanzuensis. Our findings highlighted the importance of litter removal in its natural habitat. Over five years following the removal of litter, we observed the emergence of 687 new seedlings, demonstrating a significant enhancement in both germination and seedling survival. Seedling abundance and mortality were greatly influenced by litter thickness, total carbon content, NO3--N, and available phosphorus. Seedlings height growth rate was significantly affected by litter coverage, canopy density at 1.3 m height, total nitrogen, and litter thickness. Additionally, the insufficient energy and lower values of actual photochemical rate, electron transfer rate, and photochemical quenching coefficient support in leaves with cones in the branch and branches with cones in the branch, contributed to abnormal development of female cones, leading to endosperm and embryo abortion. Our findings underscore the significant impact of environmental factors on seedling germination and growth, and highlight that insufficient energy support and reduced photosynthetic capability during female cone reproductive development may pose significant obstacles to the success of A. beshanzuensis.
影响极度濒危物种 Abies beshanzuensis 的幼苗发芽和繁殖成功的障碍
Abies beshanzuensis M. H. Wu是一种极度濒危植物,全球仅有三株野生母树,分布范围小,仅限于白山祖国家公园,自然再生能力极低,2007年至2017年出现的幼苗不足三株。尽管该物种在中国处于极度濒危状态,但人们对影响其自然再生和繁殖的障碍知之甚少。在我们的研究中,我们调查了可能影响 A. beshanzuensis 种子萌发、幼苗生长、种子质量以及整个生命周期中总体产量的各种因素。我们的研究结果强调了在其自然栖息地清除垃圾的重要性。在清除垃圾后的五年中,我们观察到 687 株新幼苗的萌发,这表明萌发率和幼苗存活率都有显著提高。幼苗的数量和死亡率在很大程度上受垃圾厚度、总碳含量、氮氧化物和可利用磷的影响。幼苗高度生长率受枯落物覆盖率、1.3 米高处的冠层密度、总氮和枯落物厚度的显著影响。此外,枝上有球果的叶片和枝上有球果的枝条由于能量不足,实际光化学速率、电子传递速率和光化学淬灭系数支持值较低,导致雌球果发育异常,导致胚乳和胚胎流产。我们的研究结果凸显了环境因素对幼苗萌发和生长的重要影响,并强调雌球果生殖发育过程中能量支持不足和光合作用能力降低可能会对 A. beshanzuensis 的成活造成重大障碍。
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来源期刊
Global Ecology and Conservation
Global Ecology and Conservation Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
CiteScore
8.10
自引率
5.00%
发文量
346
审稿时长
83 days
期刊介绍: Global Ecology and Conservation is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal covering all sub-disciplines of ecological and conservation science: from theory to practice, from molecules to ecosystems, from regional to global. The fields covered include: organismal, population, community, and ecosystem ecology; physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral ecology; and conservation science.
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