Effects of temperature and storage length on seed germination and the effects of light conditions on seedling establishment with respect to seed size in Ligularia virgaurea

Ligularia virgaurea is widely distributed in the alpine meadows of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau. We studied the effects of temperature and seed storage length on seed germination in a laboratory experiment, the effects of seed mass and light intensity on seed emergence in a pot experiment, and the effect of meadow disturbance intensity on seed emergence in a field experiment. Our results showed that seeds of L. virgaurea germinated well under a wide range of temperatures. Germination percentage decreased with increased seed storage length. When seeds were stored for either 6 or 12 months the germination percentage increased with decreasing temperature. The emergence percentage of large seeds was higher than that of small seeds. Seedling survival of large seeds was greater than that of small seeds in 75% and 50% of natural irradiance. Large seeds of L. virgaurea were more successful colonizers in the alpine meadows. Seeds of L. virgaurea germinated in both disturbed meadows and non-disturbed meadows, but seed emergence and seedling establishment were higher in the disturbed meadows, that is, disturbance could facilitate the recruitment and establishment of L. virgaurea .