The Comparative Study on Diaspore Weights of 65 Plant Species in the Xianghai Natural Reserve of Jilin Province

Abstract

The comparative study on diaspore weights of 65 plant species in the Xianghai Natural Reserve of Jilin Province was conducted to have a better understanding of regeneration strategies of these species for purposes of improving the vegetation managements and restorations. Plant diaspores are usually referred to as seeds, even though many of them are in fact fruits. In the research, the air-dried weights of 50 diaspores were measured for each plant, and then the data on seeds and indehiscent, single-seeded fruits were analyzed. The results indicated that the weight per seed or fruit of the plant diaspores varied greatly, from 0.0096 mg for the lightest seed of Orobanche coerulescens to 131.50 mg for the heaviest fruit of Tribulus terrestris; and could be respectively divided into four groups (<0.1 mg, 0.1-1mg, 1-10mg, 10-100mg) or five groups (<0.1 mg, 0.1-1mg, 1-10mg, 10-100mg, 100-200mg). The plant species, such as Chenopodium aristatum, Agrostis Clavata, Typha minima, Artemisia lavandulaefolia, Chenopodium acuminatum, Setaria viridis, Taraxacum mongolicum, Calamagrostis epigejos, Saussurea amara, Ixeris chinensis, could distribute widely in the Xianghai Natural Reserve on account of the lighter weight of diaspores with the help of wind dispersal. Moreover, the plant species, such as Chenopodium aristatum, Orobanche coerulescens, Puccinellia tenuiflora, Potentilla discolor, Chenopodium acuminatum, Silene jenisseensis, Plantago depressa, Lythrum virgatum, Setaria viridis, Thymus serpylium, Polygonum thunbergii, Thalictrum simplex, Galium verum, Sium suave, could be of persistent soil seed banks on account of the lighter weight (<1 mg) and approximate spherosome shape of diaspores. In semi-arid sandy areas, plants formed special reproductive strategies with the help of diaspore morphology, which reduced the risk of population survival to a certain extent, and played an important ecological significance for sustainable population reproduction.