Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of temperature and light on seed germination of ephemeral plants in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China: implications for vegetation restoration

  • Published:
Journal of Arid Land Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Seed germination is a key transitional stage in plant life cycle and is strongly regulated by temperature and light. Therefore, research on the effects of temperature and light on seed germination is extremely meaningful for vegetation restoration, especially in desert ecosystems. Seeds of 28 ephemeral plants collected from the Gurbantunggut Desert of China were incubated at different temperatures (5°C/1°C, 15°C/5°C, 20°C/5°C, 25°C/10°C and 30°C/15°Q in 12-h light/12-h darkness or continuous darkness regimes, and the responses of seed germination to temperature and light and the germination speed were studied in 2016. Results showed that seed germination percentage of the 28 ephemeral plants significantly differed to temperature and light. We classified the studied plants as the following groups based on their responses to temperature: 1 low temperature responsed plants, 12 moderate temperature responsed plants, 7 high temperature responsed plants, 4 non-responsed plants and 5 plants of no germination. It should be noted that Corispermum lehmannianum Bunge is sensitive to moderate and high temperatures. There were 4 groups of plant in response to light, i.e., 7 light responsed plants, 10 dark responsed plants, 6 light non-responsed plants and 5 plants of no germination. Based on seed germination speed of the 28 ephemeral plants, we divided them into 4 patterns of germination, i.e., very rapid, moderately rapid, moderate and slow. Combining variations of temperature, precipitation and sand dune types in the study area, we suggested that very rapid and moderately rapid germinated plants could be used to moving sand dunes in early spring during vegetation restoration, moderate germinated plants could be used to semi-fixed sand dunes in late autumn, and slow germinated plants could be used to sand plain in summer. Thus, seedling establishment and vegetation restoration would be improved by considering seed germination characteristics of these ephemeral plants in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abudureheman B, Zhang L, Liu H, et al. 2016. Achene germination of the spring ephemeroid species Carex physodes in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Nordic Journal of Botany, 34(2): 228–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrero J M, Jacobsen J V, Talbot M J, et al. 2012. Grain dormancy and light quality effects on germination in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. New Phytologist, 193(2): 376–386.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskin C C, Baskin J M. 1998. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination. San Diego: Elsevier/Academic Press, 559–613.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batlla D, Benech-Arnold R L. 2005. Changes in the light sensitivity of buried Polygonum aviculare seeds in relation to cold-induced dormancy loss: development of a predictive model. New Phytologist, 165(2): 445–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertacchi M I F, Amazonas N T, Brancalion P H S, et al. 2016. Establishment of tree seedlings in the understory of restoration plantations: natural regeneration and enrichment plantings. Restoration Ecology, 24(1): 100–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chanyenga T F, Geldenhuys C J, Sileshi G W. 2012. Germination response and viability of an endangered tropical conifer Widdringtonia whytei seeds to temperature and light. South African Journal of Botany, 81: 25–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Durr C, Dickie J B, Yang X Y, et al. 2015. Ranges of critical temperature and water potential values for the germination of species worldwide: Contribution to a seed trait database. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 200: 222–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Keblawy A. 2003. Effects of achene dimorphism on dormancy and progeny traits in the two ephemerals Hedypnois cretica and Crepis aspera (Asteraceae). Canadian Journal of Botany, 81(6): 550–559.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Keblawy A. 2017a. Germination response to light and temperature in eight annual grasses from disturbed and natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert. Journal of Arid Environments, 147: 17–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Keblawy A. 2017b. Light and temperature requirements during germination of potential perennial grasses for rehabilitation of degraded sandy Arabian Deserts. Land Degradation and Development, 28(5): 1687–1695.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finch-Savage W E, Leubner-Metzger G. 2006. Seed dormancy and the control of germination. New Phytologist, 171(3): 501–523.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flerchinger G N, Hardegree S P. 2004. Modelling near-surface soil temperature and moisture for germination response predictions of post-wildfire seedbeds. Journal of Arid Environments, 59(2): 369–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao R, Zhao R, Zhang S, et al. 2007. Effects of salt and temperature on Halocnemum strobilaceum seed germination. Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 27: 2281–2285. (in Chinses)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh S, Pal A. 2012. Identification of differential proteins of mungbean cotyledons during seed germination: a proteomic approach. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 34(6): 2379–2391.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hou P, Liu Y, Xie R, et al. 2014. Temporal and spatial variation in accumulated temperature requirements of maize. Field Crops Research, 158: 55–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang G, Li Y, Padilla F M. 2015. Ephemeral plants mediate responses of ecosystem carbon exchange to increased precipitation in a temperate desert. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 201: 141–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jia F Q, Ren J J, Zhang Y M. 2018. Effect of slope aspect and terrain of sand dune on herbaceous diversity in Gurbantunggut desert. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 37(1): 26–34. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang W P, Wang T, Liu S L. 2018. The response of vegetation phenology and productivity to drought in semi-arid regions of Northern China. Remote Sensing, 10(5): 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai L M, Tian Y, Wang Y J, et al. 2015. Distribution of three congeneric shrub species along an aridity gradient is related to seed germination and seedling emergence. AoB Plants, 7: plv071, https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plv071.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Song M, Duan S, et al. 2011. A comparative study of seed germination traits of 52 species from Gurbantunggut Desert and its peripheral zone. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 31(5): 4308–4317. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y J, Ji Y F, Ma Q L, et al. 2010. Effect of light and temperature on the germination of three annual plants. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture, 18(4): 810–814. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu J J, Tan D Y, Baskin J M, et al. 2012. Phenotypic plasticity and bet-hedging in a heterocarpic winter annual/spring ephemeral cold desert species of Brassicaceae. Oikos, 121(3): 357–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milberg P, Andersson L, Thompson K. 2000. Large-seeded species are less dependent on light for germination than small-seeded ones. Seed Science Research, 10(1): 99–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phartyal S S, Kondo T, Baskin J M, et al. 2009. Temperature requirements differ for the two stages of seed dormancy break in Aegopodium podagraria (Apiaceae), a species with deep complex morphophysiological dormancy. American Journal of Botany, 96(6): 1086–1095.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosbakh S, Poschlod P. 2015. Initial temperature of seed germination as related to species occurrence along a temperature gradient. Functional Ecology, 29(1): 5–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos D M D, Silva K A D, Albuquerque U P D, et al. 2013. Can spatial variation and inter-annual variation in precipitation explain the seed density and species richness of the germinable soil seed bank in a tropical dry forest in north-eastern Brazil? Flora, 208(7): 445–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shannon R W, Félix A E, Poppy G M, et al. 2016. Something in the air? The impact of volatiles on mollusc attack of oilseed rape seedlings. Annals of Botany, 117(6): 1073–1082.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stumpp M, Wesche K, Retzer V, et al. 2005. Impact of grazing livestock and distance from water source on soil fertility in Southern Mongolia. Mountain Research and Development, 25(3): 244–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabatabaei S A. 2015. The changes of germination characteristics and enzyme activity of barley seeds under accelerated aging. Cercetari Agronomice in Moldova, 48(2): 61–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang A J, Tian M H, Long C L. 2009. Seed dormancy and germination of three herbaceous perennial desert ephemerals from the Junggar Basin, China. Seed Science Research, 19: 183–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang J, Davy A J, Jiang D, et al. 2016. Effects of excluding grazing on the vegetation and soils of degraded sparse elm grassland in the Horqin Sandy Land, China. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment, 235: 340–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ueckermann C, van Rooyen M W. 2000. Insect pollination and seed set in four ephemeral plant species from Namaqualand. South African Journal of Botany, 66(1): 28–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Tian C Y, Zhang D Y, et al. 2005. Effects of illumination, temperature and salinity on the germination of Suaeda physophora Pall. Arid Land Geography, 28: 670–674. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Jiang J, Lei J, et al. 2003. Distribution of ephemeral plants and their significance in dune stabilization in Gurbantunggut Desert. Acta Geographica Sinica, 13(3): 323–330. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Jiang J, Lei J, et al. 2004. Relationship between ephemeral plants distribution and soil moisture on longitudinal dune surface in Gurbantonggut desert. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 15(4): 556–560. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xia Q, Maharajah P, Cueff G, et al. 2018. Integrating proteomics and enzymatic profiling to decipher seed metabolism affected by temperature in seed dormancy and germination. Plant Science, 269: 118–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan R, Yang G, Chen B, et al. 2016. Effects of livestock grazing on soil nitrogen mineralization on Hulunber meadow steppe, China. Plant Soil and Environment, 62: 202–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yao H, Tan D Y. 2005. The growth characteristics and the reproductive allocation dynamics in four ephemeral species of Trigonella. Journal of Xinjiang Agricultural University, 28: 26–29. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeng Y, Liu T, Zhou X B, et al. 2016. Effects of climate change on plant composition and diversity in the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwestern China. Ecological Research, 31(3): 427–439.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang M, Zhu J J, Yan Q L. 2012. Review on influence mechanisms of light in seed germination. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 36: 899–908. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang T, Sun Y, Tian C Y, et al. 2007. Ecological and biological differences between spring and autumn plants of two desert ephemerals. Journal of Plant Ecology, 31(5): 1174–1180. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng Y, Xie Z, Gao Y, et al. 2003. Ecological restoration in northern China: Germination characteristics of nine key species in relation to air seeding. Belgian Journal of Botany, 136: 129–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou J, Kulkarni M G, Huang L Q, et al. 2012. Effects of temperature, light, nutrients and smoke-water on seed germination and seedling growth of Astragalus membranaceus, Panax notoginseng and Magnolia officinalis-Higghly traded Chinese medicinal plants. South African Journal of Botany, 79: 62–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y M, Lu J J, Tan D Y, et al. 2015. Seed germination ecology of the cold desert annual Isatis violascens (Brassicaceae): two levels of physiological dormancy and role of the pericarp. PLoS ONE, 10(10): e0140983.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Science and Technology Plan Project of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (2016B03040), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570529, 31660162, 31971428, 31770638) and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2018477).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tourism Management, School of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao, 276826, China

    Yanfeng Chen

  2. CAS Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China

    Yanfeng Chen, Qiumei Cao, Dexin Li, Huiliang Liu & Daoyuan Zhang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yanfeng Chen & Dexin Li

  4. Yili Botanical Garden, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinyuan, 835800, China

    Huiliang Liu

  5. Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan, 838008, China

    Huiliang Liu & Daoyuan Zhang

Authors
  1. Yanfeng Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qiumei Cao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dexin Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Huiliang Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Daoyuan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Huiliang Liu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, Y., Cao, Q., Li, D. et al. Effects of temperature and light on seed germination of ephemeral plants in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China: implications for vegetation restoration. J. Arid Land 11, 916–927 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-019-0027-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-019-0027-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation