Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens

Abstract Impermeable seed coats, i.e. physical dormancy (PY) influence the germination ecology of plants from 18 angiosperm families. Astragalus adsurgens (Fabaceae; Papilinoidaae) is a perennial plant widespread in temperate regions that is thought to produce both permeable and impermeable seeds. W...

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Autores principales:	Ganesh K. Jaganathan, Jiajin Li, Matthew Biddick, Kang Han, Danping Song, Yashu Yang, Yingying Han, Baolin Liu
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2019
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/5f10b36019994587a71a2c722899a5c3
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:5f10b36019994587a71a2c722899a5c32021-12-02T15:09:30ZMechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens10.1038/s41598-019-46158-z2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/5f10b36019994587a71a2c722899a5c32019-07-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46158-zhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Impermeable seed coats, i.e. physical dormancy (PY) influence the germination ecology of plants from 18 angiosperm families. Astragalus adsurgens (Fabaceae; Papilinoidaae) is a perennial plant widespread in temperate regions that is thought to produce both permeable and impermeable seeds. Why seeds vary in the permeability of their coat, in addition to the mechanisms by which impermeable seeds break dormancy, are not completely understood. However, seeds are often consumed by herbivores; a phenomenon that might facilitate the germination of impermeable seeds. Here, we tested whether: (1) moisture content plays a significant role in the onset of seed coat impermeability (and therefore PY) at similar ranges reported for species from tropical ecosystems; and (2) the presence of impermeable coats offer any benefits for seed survival when consumed by animals. We tested these hypotheses using A. adsurgens seeds collected from Inner Mongolia, China. Freshly collected seeds with a moisture content of 9.7% were permeable to water and therefore not physically dormant. However, seeds became impermeable when dried below a threshold of 6.5% moisture content. Treating impermeable seeds with hydrochloric acid effectively broke dormancy. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that HCl treated seeds had a narrow opening in the hilum and extra-hilar regions, through which water entered. Seeds with impermeable coats survived significantly better than permeable seeds when consumed by cows. Irrespective of coat permeability, most seeds were egested between 12 and 24 h. In seeds that maintained dormancy after gut passage, this was broken by additional acid scarification. Overall results suggest that: (1) seed coat impermeability is induced by reduced moisture content; (2) imbibition primarily occurs at the hilum and extra-hilar region; and (3) impermeable seeds may benefit from endozoochory.Ganesh K. JaganathanJiajin LiMatthew BiddickKang HanDanping SongYashu YangYingying HanBaolin LiuNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2019)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Ganesh K. Jaganathan Jiajin Li Matthew Biddick Kang Han Danping Song Yashu Yang Yingying Han Baolin Liu Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens
description	Abstract Impermeable seed coats, i.e. physical dormancy (PY) influence the germination ecology of plants from 18 angiosperm families. Astragalus adsurgens (Fabaceae; Papilinoidaae) is a perennial plant widespread in temperate regions that is thought to produce both permeable and impermeable seeds. Why seeds vary in the permeability of their coat, in addition to the mechanisms by which impermeable seeds break dormancy, are not completely understood. However, seeds are often consumed by herbivores; a phenomenon that might facilitate the germination of impermeable seeds. Here, we tested whether: (1) moisture content plays a significant role in the onset of seed coat impermeability (and therefore PY) at similar ranges reported for species from tropical ecosystems; and (2) the presence of impermeable coats offer any benefits for seed survival when consumed by animals. We tested these hypotheses using A. adsurgens seeds collected from Inner Mongolia, China. Freshly collected seeds with a moisture content of 9.7% were permeable to water and therefore not physically dormant. However, seeds became impermeable when dried below a threshold of 6.5% moisture content. Treating impermeable seeds with hydrochloric acid effectively broke dormancy. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that HCl treated seeds had a narrow opening in the hilum and extra-hilar regions, through which water entered. Seeds with impermeable coats survived significantly better than permeable seeds when consumed by cows. Irrespective of coat permeability, most seeds were egested between 12 and 24 h. In seeds that maintained dormancy after gut passage, this was broken by additional acid scarification. Overall results suggest that: (1) seed coat impermeability is induced by reduced moisture content; (2) imbibition primarily occurs at the hilum and extra-hilar region; and (3) impermeable seeds may benefit from endozoochory.
format	article
author	Ganesh K. Jaganathan Jiajin Li Matthew Biddick Kang Han Danping Song Yashu Yang Yingying Han Baolin Liu
author_facet	Ganesh K. Jaganathan Jiajin Li Matthew Biddick Kang Han Danping Song Yashu Yang Yingying Han Baolin Liu
author_sort	Ganesh K. Jaganathan
title	Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens
title_short	Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens
title_full	Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens
title_fullStr	Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens
title_full_unstemmed	Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens
title_sort	mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in astragalus adsurgens
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2019
url	https://doaj.org/article/5f10b36019994587a71a2c722899a5c3
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Mechanisms underpinning the onset of seed coat impermeability and dormancy-break in Astragalus adsurgens

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