Seed heteromorphism and germination characteristics of Salsola rosacea in the Junggar Desert

Salsola rosacea%heteromorphism%reproduction allocation%seed germination

[Objective]Reproductive output and germination characteristicsof Salsola rosacea in the hope of providing relevant data support for future research on seed heteromorphism and providing theoretical basis for the study on the ecological adaptation mechanism and evolution of seed heteromorphism in desert conditions.[Methods]To study the seed polymorphism,Seeds were classified according to their shape,size,color and growth mode,and germination characteristics of different types of seeds were investigated.The plants are gra-ded according to the dry weight of the plant,and then the reproduction distribution and seed output of plant are calculated.[Results]Three types of seeds were produced in S.rosacea.Type A was green and winged with high germination rate,and type B and C were yellow short-winged/wingless and could be dormant.The pro-portion of reproductive allocation of type A and B increased with increasing of plant class,which showed de-pendence on plant size,while type C showed no dependence.The output proportion of type A decreased with increasing of plant rank,while that of type B seeds increased with the increase of equal size which was de-pendent on the size of plant.No significant change was found in the output of type C seeds.[Conclusion]Three kinds of seeds with different dispersal patterns and germination behaviors can be produced in S.rosacea,and their reproduction allocation and seed output depend on plant size.