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Seed size and photoblastism in species belonging to tribe Cacteae (Cactaceae)

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Abstract

The response of seed germination towards light and the relationship to seed traits has been studied particularly well in tropical forests. Several authors have shown a clear adaptive response of seed size and photoblastism, however, the evolutionary significance of this relationship for species inhabiting arid environments has not been fully understood and only some studies have considered the response in a phylogenetic context. We collected seeds from 54 cacti species spread throughout the tribe Cacteae to test whether there was correlated evolution of photoblastism, seed traits and germination using a reconstructed phylogeny of the tribe. For each species we determined the photoblastic response under controlled conditions, and seed traits, and analyzed the results using phylogenetically independent contrasts. All studied species were positive photoblastic contrasting with the basal Pereskia suggesting an early evolution of this trait. Seeds from basal species were mostly medium-sized, diverging into two groups. Seeds tend to get smaller and lighter suggesting an evolution to smaller sizes. No evidence exists of a relationship between seed size and photoblastic response suggesting that the photoblastic response within members of this tribe is not adaptive though it is phylogenetically fixed and that is coupled with environmental cues that fine tune the germination response.

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Acknowledgments

This research is a part of the thesis of Mariana Rojas-Aréchiga, who is a Ph.D. student in the Biological and Health Sciences program at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM). This work was supported by National Council of Science and Technology (Grant Number 90269) to MCM and National Council of Science and Technology (Grant Number 83760) to JG. We appreciate the help from Aldanelly Galicia and Gabriel Tejeda for partial seed measurements and Salvador Arias kindly helped us with collecting fruits and donation of seeds.

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  1. Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

    Mariana Rojas-Aréchiga & María C. Mandujano

  2. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso, 1100, Col. Villa Quietud, Coyoacán, 04960, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

    Jordan K. Golubov

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  1. Mariana Rojas-Aréchiga
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  2. María C. Mandujano
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  3. Jordan K. Golubov
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Correspondence to Jordan K. Golubov.

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Rojas-Aréchiga, M., Mandujano, M.C. & Golubov, J.K. Seed size and photoblastism in species belonging to tribe Cacteae (Cactaceae). J Plant Res 126, 373–386 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-012-0526-2

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