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1.
The role of heat (shock) in stimulating the germination of soil-stored hard seeds from fire-following species is well known. However, the effects of high temperatures on germination of canopy-stored (serotinous) seeds are less well understood. In this study, we examined the effect of heat shock at four temperatures (60, 80, 100 and 120 °C) applied for 10 min on the germination of ten co-occurring Western Australian fire-following species (five hardseeded, five serotinous). Unlike previous studies, we distinguished between the effects of heat shock on germination rate, as well as total seedling emergence. In comparison with unheated controls, a heat pulse at one or more temperatures increased total germination and germination rate for three of the hardseeded species (Acacia pulchella, Daviesia cordata and Trymalium ledifolium). The precise pattern of germination response for D. cordata was influenced by whether we examined total germination or germination rate. Germination of four serotinous species (Calothamnus quadrifidus and three Hakea species) was unaffected by pre-treatments at one or more above-ambient temperatures. Only Allocasuarina humilis displayed both increased rate and total germination at higher temperatures. Our results show that germination in some serotinous species may respond favourably to, or at least be unaffected by, the passage of fire. 相似文献
2.
Brassica napus 《Plant Physiology and Biochemistry》1999,37(12):939
In western Canada, oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera cv. Westar) is seeded during the early months of spring, when ambient temperatures are well below the optimum. This can result in poor seedling emergence. The objectives of the present study were to determine which developmental stages are sensitive to low temperature and whether the effects are thermal or developmental in nature. Seed was germinated at 22, 10 and 6 °C. Fresh weight changes and seedling growth were assessed on the basis of equal accumulated heat units, and the mobilization of storage reserves was assessed by employing antibodies against isocitrate lyase (ICL; EC 4.1.3.1), oleosin and cruciferin. Additionally, de novo protein synthesis was determined by quantifying the incorporation of methionine via in vivo labelling. Low temperature resulted in poor germination and early seedling growth with phase II of germination being most sensitive. At 10 °C, there was a temporal delay in germination that did not affect the overall success of germination. This was a thermal effect as seed at the lower temperatures required the equivalent of 16–24 degree days before germination occurred. Also, seedling growth at 10 °C was lower in comparison to seedlings grown at 22 °C. Seed at 6 °C displayed slow and incomplete germination and poor seedling growth as a result of both thermal and developmental effects. 相似文献
3.
Aline Cavalcante Maria Isabel Guedes Braz Eduardo Arcoverde de Mattos 《Ecological Research》2010,25(4):781-787
The spatial and temporal fluctuations of water availability can be an obstacle for recruitment of many species in the restinga and might restrict seed germination and seedling growth in specific regeneration safe-sites. Clusia hilariana is one of the most dominant species of Restinga de Jurubatiba. This species has a high proportion of seedling establishment occurring inside the tanks of soil bromeliads underneath vegetation patches. Given the thin seed coats, the fast germination time and seed dispersal of C. hilariana during the dry season, we hypothesized that their major regeneration niche (the tanks of soil bromeliads) is related to susceptibility of seed germination and also seedling growth to low water availability. To test this hypothesis, seeds were germinated under decreasing water potentials using PEG 6000 solutions and seedlings were grown under varying water regimes. The percentage of seed germination progressively decreased at lower water potentials. After 38 days in ?1.0 MPa no seeds germinated. However, approximately 90% of seeds germinated when transferred to Ψ = 0 MPa. The relative growth rates of seedlings of C. hilariana did not differ between water treatments. Thus, the major regeneration niche of C. hilariana is not a consequence of a high sensitivity of seeds and seedlings to water shortage. Nonetheless, C. hilariana showed an array of seed and seedling traits that may help to overcome establishment constraints of the harsh environment of restingas. 相似文献
4.
Vegetation recovery on Mount Koma, Hokkaido, Japan, has been slow after the catastrophic eruption in 1929, due to undeveloped soil and limited plant colonization. Nowadays, the seedling establishment is supported mostly by a nurse plant, Salix reinii forming shrub patches, facilitates the plant colonization. Although the effects of shrub patches should differ with patch sizes, the size effects have not been examined well. To examine the size effects, seed-sowing experiments were conducted on two common pioneer herbaceous species, Miscanthus sinensis and Polygonum sachalinense, in the field. The seed germination and seedling survival were monitored by the seeds sown into S. reinii patches (0.97 m2–4.12 m2 in area) for 4 months during snow-free periods. Microenvironments altered by the patches were measured. Lab-experiments were performed to characterize the seed germination and seedling growth.Larger patches decreased light intensity and temperature more and increased litter and water content. The large patches promoted the seed germination of the two species. Interspecific interactions, examined by a seed mixture experiment, showed that the interaction increased the seed germination on M. sinensis and decreased that on P. sachalinense. On the lab-experiments at three temperatures (15, 20 and 25 °C), M. sinensis seeds germinated more at higher temperatures and obtained higher seedlings biomass. P. sachalinense germinated the seeds more at 20 °C and grew faster at lower temperatures. The total biomass of the two species was reduced by shade that intercepted 50% of light intensity. The seed germination and seedling growth of these two species became higher on litter with 2 cm in depth than on no litter. Soil water supported seed germination when the seeds of these two species were mixed while the water reduced the growth of P. sachalinense seedlings. Therefore, the dry soils were suitable for their growths. In all the treatments, P. sachalinense seedlings showed higher mortalities than M. sinensis.In conclusion, the large patches facilitated more to the colonization of pioneer plants via seed germination and growth. Large patches acted as a nursery supporting the natural regeneration in the disturbed area by improving litter accumulation, maintaining soil water, reducing strong light and/or protecting from heat. 相似文献
5.
Carapa guianensis Aubl. (Meliaceae), a hard wood tree from the Brazilian Amazon, has large recalcitrant seeds that can germinate and establish in both flood-free (terra-firme) and flood-prone (várzea) forests. These seeds, although large, can float. This study was designed to experimentally examine seed longevity under floating conditions ex-situ and its effects on subsequent germination and seedling growth. Many seeds germinated while floating, and radicle protrusion occurred from 3 to 42 d after the start of the floating treatment (tap water, room temperature 20–30 °C). Shoots of newly germinated floating seedlings may elongate up to 37.0 cm in 20 d without loss of viability. Epicotyl and first leaf emergence were delayed by floating. Seeds that did not germinate while floating were then placed on vermiculite and watered daily, where many seeds resumed germination. Germination during and after floating was affected by the length of the floating treatment: 88% germinated after 1 mo, 82% germinated after 2 mo and 70% germinated after 2.5 mo. These results indicate that Carapa guianensis has physiological variation regarding dormancy in response to seed floatation. The fact that floatation induces dormancy in recalcitrant seeds of this economically important species can be relevant to initiatives of ex situ storage of seeds. 相似文献
6.
《Acta Oecologica》2000,21(4-5):245-256
Fire is selectively shaping most of the traits of plants growing in fire-prone environments. However, seed size and other features related to seed production have not been studied in the light of the evolutionary role of fire. Our research tests the hypothesis that larger seeds have a higher chance of surviving wildfires and produce more vigorous seedlings with a lower death rate. To test this hypothesis the germination and early seedling growth of five Spanish pine species were studied. Weight, length and width of all seeds were measured. The biomass (fresh and dry weight) and length (root and total) of subsequent seedlings were also measured after 30 d from emergence. Seeds were submitted to elevated temperatures for periods in which the chance of survival was 50 % (calculated by means of a logistic model for each pine species). The differences observed among species suggests that fire may be adaptively shaping seed size in pines with larger seeds (Pinus canariensis and P. pinaster), because larger seeds are more likely to survive after heat shocks. Furthermore, in P. canariensis, seedlings after heat treatment are even larger than those submitted to control. In P. halepensis, despite being well adapted to fire, our results indicated no relationships between fire and seed characteristics. Finally, although heat treatment has a general adverse effect on seedling growth in the case of the two subalpine pines, we have detected a positive relationship between seed size and seedling growth but only in the largest seeds. This might also suggest the relevance of fire as a selective force for these pines which is outperformed by the relevance of dispersal and emergence time as adaptive traits in the post-fire scenario. 相似文献
7.
The germination responses of Discopodium penninervium were tested at different constant and alternating temperature regimes as well as under various light conditions both in the laboratory and glasshouse. Seeds incubated at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C failed to germinate. When the seeds were incubated at alternating temperatures of 20/12 °C and 30/12 °C under continuous light, germination was 89 and 61%, indicating that the species requires alternating temperatures as a cue for germination. However, germination declined as the amplitude of alternating temperatures increased from 8 °C and was completely inhibited at an amplitude of 23 °C, suggesting that the optimum amplitude is around 8 °C. Germination was less than 10% in light and nil in darkness at 20 °C in the laboratory. In contrast, seeds incubated at 20/12 °C germinated to 96 and 86% in light and darkness, respectively. Seeds incubated under leaf shade in the glasshouse failed to germinate whereas those incubated under direct daylight and darkness germinated to 44 and 50%, respectively, 30 days after sowing. When seeds incubated under leaf shade and in darkness were exposed afterwards to light, final percent germination was 83% from seeds incubated initially under direct daylight, 79% from those incubated under leaf shade and 86% from those incubated in darkness. The requirement for alternating temperatures and light rich in red:far red ratio to break the dormancy of seeds of D. penninervium could restrict germination to gaps in the vegetation. The results conform with the ecology of the species. 相似文献
8.
An effort has been made to assess the role of reactive oxygen species in germination and subsequent growth of Amaranthus lividus under elevated temperature. Transfer of A. lividus seeds from 25 to 45 °C for 4, 8 and 12 h, during early imbibitional period reduced percentage of germination, relative germination performance, relative growth index and seedling length. Heat shock during early germination decreased also the activities of free radical scavenging enzymes like catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, increased the accumulation of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and induced lipoxygenase mediated membrane lipid peroxidation. Membrane injury index and relative leakage ratio revealed a rise with concomitant reduction in membrane protein thiol content in heat shock raised seedlings. The results indicate that heat shock in A. lividus seeds induced an excessive generation of ROS and led to an oxidative membrane damage, causing early growth impairment. 相似文献
9.
Effects of camptothecin, a naturally occurring alkaloid, on seed germination varied from promotive to inhibitory, depending on the species used. It markedly inhibited seedling root growth but its inhibition of hypocotyl growth varied among species. Camptothecin inhibited GA3-induced dark germination of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds and hypocotyl elongation of seedlings. In contrast to ABA, the camptothecin inhibition of GA3-induced germination could not be overcome by cytokinin. When seeds were germinated at 29C with a 0.5 h light treatment, little or no germination occurred in the camptothecin treatment, but addition of cytokinin overcame this inhibition. 相似文献
10.
In heterogenous landscapes, seeds settle in some microsites more readily than others, independently of whether those microsites
are suitable for germination and subsequent growth, and survival of seedlings. Wild seeds and seedlings of Ericameria
nauseosa var. oreophila in the sand-dune ecosystem near Mono Lake, California show both concordance and conflict in where seeds are retained and
where seedlings flourish. Using a field experiment, we followed performance of seeds and seedlings (i.e., the rate of germination
and successful emergence, initial seedling size, seedling growth and survival over first growing season), by planting seeds
of known sizes in pre-identified microsites (windward and lee aspects of interspaces between shrubs, under shrub canopies,
and under snag canopies, respectively). Heavier seeds were more likely to germinate and emerge successfully and resulted in
initially larger seedlings than lighter seeds. These initially larger seedlings subsequently remained larger over the growing
season and lived longer than initially smaller seedlings. Independent of seed and initial seedling size, seedlings that germinated
under the canopy of adult shrubs grew larger and survived longer than seedlings that germinated in interspaces (open space
with little or no vegetation) or under snags (dead adult shrubs). Seedlings grown under the canopy of adult shrubs experienced
significantly less solar radiation and wind-deposited sand than seedlings grown in interspace or snag microsites. Sand burial
more than 1 cm was lethal for seedlings. The two variables of seed size and microsite type had by far greater impact on eventual
growth and survival of seedlings than did aspect, and the effects of the former two variables were independent of each other.
This study amplifies the body of work on E. nauseosa at this site demonstrating that the earliest events in the life history of this long-lived perennial shrub appear to persist
through time despite the harsh and variable environment. 相似文献
11.
Gibberellin-mediated changes in carbohydrate metabolism during flower stalk elongation in tulips 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
We tested the effects of cold stratification, temperature, light and NaCl on seed germination and germination recovery and
of NaCl on radicle growth and radicle elongation recovery of Kalidium caspicum, a small leafy succulent shrub dominant in saline deserts in northwest China. In all conditions of temperature and light/darkness,
germination percentages and rates of cold-stratified seeds were significantly higher than those of nonstratified seeds. Germination
of a high percentage of both nonstratified and stratified seeds was inhibited by 0.2 M NaCl, and 0.6 M NaCl completely inhibited
germination. Nongerminated seeds germinated after they were transferred from NaCl solutions to distilled water. Radicle elongation
significantly decreased with increase in salinity, and it was completely inhibited by ≥1.0 M NaCl; radicle elongation recovered
in young seedlings pretreated by 10 days of incubation in ≤0.4 M NaCl. Results show that seed germination and early seedling
growth of K. caspicum are salt tolerant, and these characteristics help explain why this species can survive and dominate salt habitats, such as
those in the Junggar desert in Xinjiang, northwest China. 相似文献
12.
Schismus arabicus, a desert annual grass, is one of the most common pasture annuals in the deserts of Israel and Asia. S. arabicus exhibits a unique set of adaptations and survival strategies, which enable it to germinate, develop and produce seeds even
in years with annual rainfall of less than 100 mm. The current study examined whether an annual rhythm exists in the survival
ability of S. arabicus seedlings exposed to desiccation. Our results indicate that survival of S. arabicus seedlings after six different periods of 7 to 42 days of desiccation depended on the month of germination of the caryopses
(seeds). Seed germination was 80–100% in all experiments, regardless the month of germination; however, seedlings that germinated
in different months varied in their root and shoot elongation rates. None of about 2,500 seedlings that germinated in July
(in each of the 4 years) survived the desiccation treatment. The percentages of surviving seedlings in each month of June
from 2002 to 2005 were less than 40%. In contrast, over 80% of the seedlings that germinated in each of the months of December
and January survived after the desiccation periods of 7–42 days. Seedlings that survived were transferred to 5 L soil pots
in which the seedlings developed into mature plants, completed their life cycle and produced seeds that germinated well. The
current study demonstrated a novel phenomenon indicating that seedling survival in plants may depend on an annual periodicity
according to the date of germination. 相似文献
13.
Juan A. Delgado José M. Serrano Francisco López Francisco J. Acosta 《Plant Ecology》2008,197(2):269-276
The germination response of different sized seeds from individuals of a Mediterranean fire-prone shrub (Cistus ladanifer) was investigated in relation to pre-germination heating. A control (no heating), a low temperature during a short exposure
time (50°C during 5 min), a high temperature during a short exposure time (100°C during 5 min) and a high temperature during
a long exposure time (100°C during 15 min) were applied to seeds from different individual plants with different mean seed
weight. These pre-germination treatments resemble natural germination scenarios for the studied species, absence of fire,
low intensity pasture fire, typical Mediterranean shrub fire, and severe fire with high fuel load. Mean seed weight only showed
a marginally significant positive correlation with the proportion of germinated seeds whatever the pre-germination treatment.
These results suggest that seed dormancy is unrelated to seed size and that under the experimental conditions used in this
study, the effect of seed size on seed germination is low. Nevertheless, larger seeds could be favoured in natural conditions,
especially under the high competition scenario which arise after wildfires. Control seeds showed a negative correlation between
seed size and germination velocity suggesting that lighter seeds could take advantage from early germination in recruitment
events in the absence of wildfires. Nevertheless, even the lower pre-germination heating treatment turns this correlation
in not significant, suggesting a strong selection pressure (unrelated to seed size) for early germination after fire events.
In our study, different sized seeds of C. ladanifer seem to perform better under different germination scenarios suggesting that seed size variation could be maintained by the
alternation of recruitments without wildfires and recruitments after wildfire events. 相似文献
14.
Shrub encroachment is a widely observed problem in Southern African savannas. Although the effects of herbivory and grass
height on woody species recruitment have been studied individually, little information exists about how these factors interact.
In this study seeds and seedlings of the encroaching shrub Dichrostachys cinerea were planted in clipped and unclipped grass plots, with and without large herbivores present. Seed germination, seedling
survival and seedling predation were monitored for 8 months. Germination started earlier in plots where herbivores were excluded.
Overall, the earlier the seeds germinated, the longer the seedlings survived. Clipping positively affected the number of germinated
seeds, seedling growth and survival but effects varied among herbivore exclusion treatments and sites. Invertebrates caused
the majority of the seedling damage. We conclude the recruitment of D. cinerea is influenced by the interplay of grass height and herbivory. In this study, the presence of large herbivores early in the
wet season, and the absence of simulated grazing later on, affected the regeneration of D. cinerea negatively. However, differences in effects among sites suggest that the mechanisms found here may work differently in other
habitats.
相似文献
15.
Effect of salinity on seed germination and seedling growth of the halophyte Suaeda japonica Makino
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Seed germination and seedling growth of the annual halophyte species Suaeda japonica Makino were investigated in response to variable salinity of sediment pore water. The germination percentage of S. japonica’s soft brown seeds, which are dominant among dimorphic seeds, decreased with an increase in salinity, although germination was still observed at 1200‐mM NaCl concentration. The germination percentage and germination speed observed in April were higher than those observed in December when treated with sediment water with 400–1200 mM of NaCl concentrations. These data suggest that S. japonica seedlings could be established on sediments that experience high temperatures. Germination recovery of S. japonica seeds transferred from 600‐mM NaCl containing sediment (seawater equivalent) was lowest among 0–1200‐mM NaCl treatments, implying the low tolerance of seawater conditions of S. japonica seeds. Seeds germinated in 900‐ to 1200‐mM NaCl medium showed poor growth, but survived, in hypersaline conditions, and exhibited improvement in growth upon transfer to lower salinity. 相似文献
16.
Seed germination and dormancy in the medicinal woodland herbs Collinsonia canadensis L. (Lamiaceae) and Dioscorea villosa L. (Dioscoreaceae) 总被引:2,自引:2,他引:0
We used a double germination phenology or “move-along” experiment (sensu Baskin and Baskin, 2003) to characterize seed dormancy in two medicinal woodland herbs, Collinsonia canadensis L. (Lamiaceae) and Dioscorea villosa L. (Dioscoreaceae). Imbibed seeds of both species were moved through the following two sequences of simulated thermoperiods: (a) 30/15 °C→20/10 °C→15/6 °C→5 °C→15/6 °C→20/10 °C→30/15 °C, and (b) 5 °C→15/6 °C→20/10 °C→30/15 °C→20/10 °C→15/6 °C→5 °C. In each sequence, seeds of both species germinated to high rates (>85%) at cool temperatures (15/6 and 20/10 °C) only if seeds were previously exposed to cold temperatures (5 °C). Seeds kept at four control thermoperiods (5, 15/6, 20/10, 30/15 °C) for 30 d showed little or no germination. Seeds of both species, therefore, have physiological dormancy that is broken by 12 weeks of cold (5 °C) stratification. Morphological studies indicated that embryos of C. canadensis have “investing” embryos at maturity (morphological dormancy absent), whereas embryos of D. villosa are undeveloped at maturity (morphological dormancy present). Because warm temperatures are required for embryo growth and cold stratification breaks physiological dormancy, D. villosa seeds have non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). Neither species afterripened in a 6-month dry storage treatment. Cold stratification treatments of 4 and 8 weeks alleviated dormancy in both species but C. canadensis seeds germinated at slower speeds and lower rates compared to seeds given 12 weeks of cold stratification. In their natural habitat, both species disperse seeds in mid- to late autumn and germinate in the spring after cold winter temperatures alleviate endogenous dormancy. 相似文献
17.
Background
The responses of plant seeds and seedlings to changing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and precipitation regimes determine plant population dynamics and community composition under global change.Methodology/Principal Findings
In a temperate steppe in northern China, seeds of P. tanacetifolia were collected from a field-based experiment with N addition and increased precipitation to measure changes in their traits (production, mass, germination). Seedlings germinated from those seeds were grown in a greenhouse to examine the effects of improved N and water availability in maternal and offspring environments on seedling growth. Maternal N-addition stimulated seed production, but it suppressed seed mass, germination rate and seedling biomass of P. tanacetifolia. Maternal N-addition also enhanced responses of seedlings to N and water addition in the offspring environment. Maternal increased-precipitation stimulated seed production, but it had no effect on seed mass and germination rate. Maternal increased-precipitation enhanced seedling growth when grown under similar conditions, whereas seedling responses to offspring N- and water-addition were suppressed by maternal increased-precipitation. Both offspring N-addition and increased-precipitation stimulated growth of seedlings germinated from seeds collected from the maternal control environment without either N or water addition. Our observations indicate that both maternal and offspring environments can influence seedling growth of P. tanacetifolia with consequent impacts on the future population dynamics of this species in the study area.Conclusion/Significance
The findings highlight the importance of the maternal effects on seed and seedling production as well as responses of offspring to changing environmental drivers in mechanistic understanding and projecting of plant population dynamics under global change. 相似文献18.
Spatial and temporal ground-surface dynamics are major factors that affect regeneration and species coexistence in tropical peat swamp forests. We studied the seedling survivorship and morphological features of two tree species that play important roles in maintaining the ground-surface dynamics of a peat swamp forest in Sumatra. Large Swintonia glauca trees form mounds, whereas large Stemonurus scorpioides trees occupy non-mounds. We monitored the demography of naturally dispersed Swintonia and Stemonurus seedlings that germinated in 2000. Survivorship of Swintonia seedlings was high under conditions of late germination, high-light environment, and elevated ground surface, and was negatively affected by distance to the nearest conspecific adult. Survivorship of Stemonurus was high under conditions of early germination and high conspecific seedling density, and was also negatively affected by distance to the nearest conspecific adult. The allometric features of Stemonurus seedlings indicated characteristics of stress tolerance, that is, low growth rate and thick, porous roots. Stemonurus, which has large wingless seeds, regenerated in non-mounds around the parental trees, while winged Swintonia seeds dispersed farther from the parent and established in patchily distributed gaps and mounds. Thus, Swintonia seedlings can survive on non-mound sites within gaps and possibly create mounds, while Stemonurus seedlings tend to maintain non-mounds around the parental trees. 相似文献
19.
W. E. FINCH-SAVAGE 《The Annals of applied biology》1988,113(2):425-429
The moisture content of newly-germinated Brussels sprout seeds (radicles 1 ± 0·5 mm long) was reduced to 16% without loss of viability when compared with untreated newly-germinated seeds. Seedling emergence and growth from these low-moisture-content germinated (LMCG) seeds and ungerminated seeds were compared in cellular trays and seedbeds. A greater number of seedlings emerged more uniformly and more rapidly from LMCG seeds than from ungerminated dry seeds, leading to larger, more uniform seedlings for subsequent transplanting. Post-germination separation in sucrose solutions before drying resulted in a seed batch with 98% of germinated seeds. As there was a positive relationship between the rate of germination and subsequent seedling growth, it is suggested that germinated-seed separation techniques could be used to select the most vigorous seedlings. 相似文献
20.
A. V. Stevens A. B. Nicotra R. C. Godfree L. K. Guja 《Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)》2020,22(3):500-513
- Polyploidy (the state of having more than two genome copies) is widely distributed in flowering plants and can vary within species, with polyploid races often associated with broad ecological tolerances. Polyploidy may influence within‐species variation in seed development, germination and establishment. We hypothesized that interactions between polyploidy and the seed developmental environment would affect subsequent dormancy, germination and early growth traits, particularly in stressful environments.
- Using seeds developed in a common garden under ambient and warmed conditions, we conducted germination trials under drought and temperature stress, and monitored the subsequent growth of seedlings. The study species, Themeda triandra, is a widespread, keystone, Australian native grass and a known polyploid complex.
- Tetraploid plants produced heavier, more viable seeds than diploids. Tetraploids were significantly more dormant than diploids, regardless of seed developmental environment. Non‐dormant tetraploids were more sensitive to germination stress compared to non‐dormant diploids. Finally, tetraploid seedlings were larger and grew faster than diploids, usually when maternal plants were exposed to developmental temperatures atypical to the source environment.
- Seed and seedling traits suggest tetraploids are generally better adapted to stressful environments than diploids. Because tetraploid seeds of T. triandra are more dormant they are less likely to germinate under stress, and when they do germinate, seedling growth is rapid and independent of seed developmental environment. These novel results demonstrate that polyploidy, sometimes in interaction with developmental environment and possibly also asexuality, can have within‐species variation in seed and seedling traits that increase fitness in stressful environments.