Intraspecific variation of Quercus ilex L. seed morphophysiological traits in Tunisia reveals a trade-off between seed germination and shoot emergence rates along a thermal gradient
Key message
Quercus ilex populations from cold habitats display a large lag between seed germination and shoot emergence time, favouring avoidance of late frost events. Populations from mild habitats show the fastest seed germination and shoot emergence rates at moderate temperatures, enabling them to synchronize germination in the late winter-early spring period and a rapid seed-to-seedling transition, during the favourable rainy period.
Keywords
Holm oak; Germination; Seed functional traits; Recalcitrant seeds; Oak acorn; Mediterranean climate
Publication
Amimi, N., Ghouil, H., Zitouna-Chebbi, R. et al. Intraspecific variation of Quercus ilex L. seed morphophysiological traits in Tunisia reveals a trade-off between seed germination and shoot emergence rates along a thermal gradient. Annals of Forest Science 80, 12 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-023-01179-7
Data and/or Code availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available in the DataSuds data repository (Amimi et al. 2022), https://doi.org/10.23708/TYFN5U
Handling Editor
Ignacio J. Diaz-Maroto
