| Abstract: | This paper reports an experimental study of water dispersal potential and germination of the shingle beach plant Mertensia maritima in which we consider the effects of physical factors (cold treatment, mechanical wear of the pericarp and salt-water exposure) on the diaspores. Our approach also includes testing effects of different orders of the treatments, in contrast to most earlier studies of diaspore ecology. A cold period was necessary to break seed dormancy, and prolonged cold treatment (stratification at 2°C) enhanced germination. Mechanical wear of the pericarp before cold treatment did not affect germination, whereas mechanical wear after cold treatment increased germination significantly. Seeds exposed to 6 weeks of cold treatment before floating in salt water for 6 weeks did not germinate. In contrast, for seeds given the same cold treatment after floating, the germination was more than 50%. Most undamaged and slightly damaged nutlets stayed afloat throughout the dispersal experiment (9 weeks) in 3% salt water, whereas seeds that fell out of damaged nutlets sunk immediately. Thus, the results suggest that the potential for long-distance dispersal is high unless the diaspores (nutlets) are severely damaged, but the order of cold treatment and water dispersal seems to be of great importance for germination: seeds dispersed in autumn (before cold periods) have a much higher probability of germinating than seeds dispersed in winter or early spring (after a cold period). Similar effects of the relative timing of physical processes have hitherto only been reported for two other water-dispersed beach plants. Future studies in diaspore ecology should consider such timing effects as they may be important determinants of the distribution and abundance of plants. |
