Summary
The grass Danthonia spicata produces dimorphic seeds from chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers. The seed remains attached to seedlings so one can identify the reproductive origin of seedlings. The proportion of chasmogamous and cleistogamous seedlings becoming established varies widely between populations. The types of seedlings becoming established was generally consistent from year to year and correlated with the proportion of flower types produced. Mown populations showed especially high levels of cleistogamous seedling establishment. Germination and seedling survival were experimentally investigated. Chasmogamous and cleistogamous seeds had different germination behaviors. Cleistogamous seedlings had higher survival rates than chasmogamous seedlings.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barbour M (1972) Seedling establishment of Cakile maritima at Bodega Head, California. Bull Torrey Bot Club 99:11–16
Baskin JM, Baskin CC (1976) Germination dimorphism in Heterotheca subaxillaris var. subaxillaris. Bull Torrey Bot Club 103:201–206
Beadle NCW (1952) Studies in halophytes. I. The germination of the seeds and establishment of seedlings of 5 species of Atriplex in Australia. Ecology 33:49–62
Brandenburg NG (1961) Fertility and pod development of selffertile clones of birdsfoot trefoil with selfing and outcrossing. Crop Sci 1:373–374
Chase A (1918) Axillary cleistogenes in some American grasses. Amer J Bot 5:254–258
Cheplick GP, Quinn JA (1982) Amphicarpum purshii and the “pessimistic strategy” in amphicarpic annuals with subterranean fruit. Oecologia (Berlin) 52:327–332
Clay K (1982a) Environmental and genetic determinants of cleistogamy in a natural population of the grass Danthonia spicata. Evolution 36:734–741
Clay K (1982b) Variation in the degree of cleistogamy within and between species of the grass Danthonia. Amer J Bot (in press)
Connor HE (1979) Breeding systems in the grasses: a survey. NZJ Bot 17:547–574
Culver D, Beattie A (1980) The fate of Viola seeds dispersed by ants. Amer J Bot 67:710–714
Dewey DE (1966) Inbreeding depression in diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid crested wheatgrass. Crop Sci 6:144–147
Donnelly ED (1955) The effects of outcrossing on forage and seed yields in sericea lespedeza. Agron J 47:466–467
Dyksterhuis EJ (1945) Axillary cleistogenes in Stipa and their role in nature. Ecology 26:195–199
Evenari M, Kadouri A, Gutterman Y (1977) Eco-physiological investigations on the amphicarpy of Emes spinosa (L.) Campd Flora 166:223–238
Flint SD, Palmblad IG (1978) Germination dimorphism and developmental flexibility in the ruderal weed Heterotheca grandiflora. Occologia (Berlin) 36:33–43
Forsyth C, Brown N (1982) Germination of the dimorphic fruits of Bidens pilosa L. New Phytol 90:151–164
Harper JL (1977) Population biology of plants. New York, USA: Academic Press
Harper JL, Williams JT, Sagar GR (1965) The behaviour of seeds in the soil. Part 1. The heterogeneity of soil surfaces and its role in determining the establishment of plants from seed. J Ecol 53:273–286
Harper JL, Benton RA (1966) The behaviour of seeds in the soil. Part 2. The germination of seeds on the surface of a water supplying substrate. J Ecol 54:151–166
Helwig JT, Council KA (1979) SAS user's guide. Raleigh NC, USA: SAS Institute, Inc.
Keddy P (1980) Population ecology in an environmental mosaic: Cakile edentula on a gravel bar. Can J Bot 58:1095–1100
Koller D, Roth N (1964) Studies on the ecological and physiological significance of amphicarpy in Gymnarrhena micrantha (Compositae). Amer J Bot 51:26–35
Levins R (1968) Evolution in changing environments. Princeton NJ, USA: Princeton Univ Press
Livingston RB, Allessio ML (1968) Buried viable seed in successional field and forest stands, Harvard Forest, Massachusetts. Bull Torrey Bot Club 95:58§69
Lord EM (1981) Cleistogamy: a tool for the study of floral morphogenesis, function and evolution. Bot Rev 47:421–450
McDonough WT (1975) Germination polymorphism in Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal. Northwest Sci 49:190–200
McNamara J, Quinn JA (1977) Resource allocation and reproduction in populations of Amphicarpum purshii (Gramnieae). Amer J Bot 64:17–23
Payne AM, Maun MA (1981) Dispersal and floating ability of dimorphic fruit segments of Cakile edentula var. lacustris. Can J Bot 59:2595–2602
van der Pijl L (1972) Principles of dispersal in higher plants. Springer, New York
Rice JS, Dudley JW (1974) Gene effects responsible for inbreeding depression in autotetraploid maize. Crop Sci 14:390–393
Simpson M (1952) Value of the awn in establishing seed of Danthonia penicillata. NZJ Sci Tech 33:360–364
Soderstrom TR, Calderon CE (1974) Primitive forest grasses and evolution of the Bambusoideae. Biotropica 6:141–153
Uphof JCT (1938) Cleistogamic flowers. Bot Rev 4:21–49
Venable DL, Lawlor L (1980) Delayed germination and dispersal in desert annuals: escape in time and space. Oecologia (Berlin) 46:272–282
Weatherwax P (1928) Cleistogamy in two species of Danthonia. Bot Gaz 85:104–109
Weiss PW (1980) Germination, reproduction, and interference in the amphicarpic annual Exmex spinosa. Oecologia (Berlin) 45:244–251
Wilsie CP (1958) Effect of inbreeding on fertility and vigor of alfalfa. Agron J 50:182–185
Zeide B (1978) Reproductive behaviour of plants in time. Amer Nat 112:636–639
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clay, K. The differential establishment of seedlings from chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers in natural populations of the grass Danthonia spicata (L.) Beauv. Oecologia 57, 183–188 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379579
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379579