Please wait a minute...
Journal of Arid Land  2016, Vol. 8 Issue (2): 264-271    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-015-0014-3
Research Articles     
The ecological role of dew in assisting seed germination of the annual desert plant species in a desert environment, northwestern China
ZHUANG Yanli1,2, ZHAO Wenzhi1,2*
1 Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Lanzhou 730000, China;
2 Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Download:   PDF(199KB)
Export: BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      

Abstract  It is important to understand the effects of dew events on non-mucilaginous seed germination of annual desert plant species during dry seasons, which is critical to maintaining long-term soil seed banks in a harsh desert environment. We hypothesize that dew deposition also assists in the non-mucilaginous seed germination of annual desert species. A common field dew treatment experiment was conducted in the Linze Inland River Basin Research Station to investigate the effects of dew deposition on the seed germination of four annual species, including Agriophyllum squarrosum, Corispermum mongolicum, Bassia dasyphylla and Halogeton arachnoideus. The results showed that the presence of dew significantly increased seed germination percentages and decreased the nonviable seed percentages of B. dasyphylla and H. arachnoideus, whereas there was no such trend for the seeds of C. mongolicum and A. squarrosum. The ecological effects of dew on the seed germination and viability of the annual desert plants were species specific. Although dew wetting is insufficient to cause seed germination, it may help in priming the seeds.

Received: 24 March 2015      Published: 01 April 2016
Fund:  

This research was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2013CB429903), the West Light Program for Talent Cultivation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41301604).

Corresponding Authors:
Cite this article:

ZHUANG Yanli, ZHAO Wenzhi. The ecological role of dew in assisting seed germination of the annual desert plant species in a desert environment, northwestern China. Journal of Arid Land, 2016, 8(2): 264-271.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-015-0014-3     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2016/V8/I2/264

Barradas V L, Glez-Medellín M G. 1999. Dew and its effect on two heliophile understorey species of a tropical dry deciduous forest in Mexico. International Journal of Biometeorology, 43(1): 1–7.

Baskin C C, Baskin J M. 1998. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination. San Diego: Academic Press.

Boucher J F, Munson A D, Bernier P Y. 1995. Foliar absorption of dew influences shoot water potential and root growth in Pinus strobus seedlings. Tree Physiology, 15(12): 819–823.

Breshears D D, McDowell N G, Goddard K L, et al. 2008. Foliar absorption of intercepted rainfall improves woody plant water status most during drought. Ecology, 89(1): 41–47.

Clus O, Ortega P, Muselli M, et al. 2008. Study of dew water collection in humid tropical islands. Journal of Hydrology, 361(1–2): 159–171.

Duvdevani S. 1964. Dew in Israel and its effect on plants. Soil Science, 2: 14–21.

Grammatikopoulus G, Manetas Y. 1994. Direct absorption of water by hairy leaves of Phlomis fruticosa and its contribution to drought avoidance. Canadian Journal of Botany, 72(12): 1805–1811.

Gutterman Y, Shem-Tov S. 1997. Mucilaginous seed coat structure of Carrichtera annua and Anastatica hierochuntica from the Negev Desert highlands of Israel, and its adhesion to the soil crust. Journal of Arid Environments, 35(4): 695–705.

Gutterman Y. 2002. Survival Strategies of Annual Desert Plants: Adaptations of Desert Organisms. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.

He S Y, Richards K. 2015. The role of dew in the monsoon season assessed via stable isotopes in an alpine meadow in Northern Tibet. Atmospheric Research, 151: 101–109.

Hill A J, Dawson T E, Shelef O, et al. 2015. The role of dew in Negev Desert plants. Oecologia, 178(2): 317–327.

Jacobs A F G, Heusinkveld B G, Berkowicz S M. 1999. Dew deposition and drying in a desert system: a simple simulation model. Journal of Arid Environments, 42(3): 211–222.

Jacobs A F G, Heusinkveld B G, Berkowicz S M. 2000. Dew measurements along a longitudinal sand dune transect, Negev Desert, Israel. International Journal of Biometeorology, 43(4): 184–190.

Kidron G J. 1999. Differential water distribution over dune slopes as affected by slope position and microbiotic crust, Negev Desert, Israel. Hydrological Processes, 13(11): 1665–1682.

Kidron G J, Herrnstadt I, Barzilay E. 2002. The role of dew as a moisture source for sand microbiotic crusts in the Negev Desert, Israel. Journal of Arid Environments, 52(4): 517–533.

Kidron G J, Temina M. 2013. The effect of dew and fog on lithic lichens along an altitudinal gradient in the Negev Desert. Geomicrobiology Journal, 30(4): 281–290.

Kranner I, Minibayeva F V, Beckett R P, et al. 2010. What is stress? Concepts, definitions and applications in seed science. New Phytologist, 188(3): 655–673.

Malek E, McCurdy G, Giles B. 1999. Dew contribution to the annual water balances in semi-arid desert valleys. Journal of Arid Environments, 42(2): 71–80.

Munné-Bosch S, Nogués S, Alegre L. 1999. Diurnal variations of photosynthesis and dew absorption by leaves in two evergreen shrubs growing in Mediterranean field conditions. New Phytologist, 144(1): 109–119.

Pan Y X, Wang X P, Zhang Y F. 2010. Dew formation characteristics in a revegetation-stabilized desert ecosystem in Shapotou area, Northern China. Journal of Hydrology, 387(3–4): 265–272.

Rajjou L, Lovigny Y, Groot S P C, et al. 2008. Proteome-wide characterization of seed aging in Arabidopsis: a comparison between artificial and natural aging protocols. Plant Physiology, 148(1): 620–641.

Rao B Q, Liu Y D, Wang W B, et al. 2009. Influence of dew on biomass and photosystem II activity of cyanobacterial crusts in the Hopq Desert, northwest China. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41(12): 2387–2393.

Stewart J B. 1977. Evaporation from the wet canopy of a pine forest. Water Resource Research, 13(6): 915–921.

Stone E C. 1957a. Dew as an ecological factor: I. A review of the literature. Ecology, 38(3): 407–413.

Stone E C. 1957b. Dew as an ecological factor: II. The effect of artificial dew on the survival of Pinus ponderosa and associated species. Ecology, 38(3): 414–422.

Temina M, Kidron G J. 2015. The effect of dew on flint and limestone lichen communities in the Negev Desert. Flora-Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants, 213: 77–84, doi: 10.1016/j.flora.2015.04.005.

Tobe K Z, Zhang L P, Omasa K. 2005. Seed germination and seedling emergence of three annuals growing on desert sand dunes in China. Annals of Botany, 95(4): 649–659.

Yang X J, Zhang W H, Dong M, et al. 2011. The achene mucilage hydrated in desert dew assists seed cells in maintaining DNA integrity: adaptive strategy of desert plant Artemisia sphaerocephala. PLoS One, 6(9): e24346.

Zhuang Y L, Ratcliffe S. 2012. Relationship between dew presence and Bassia dasyphylla plant growth. Journal of Arid Land, 4(1): 11–18.

Zhuang Y L, Zhao W Z. 2014. Dew variability in three habitats of a sand dune transect in a desert oasis ecotone, Northwestern China. Hydrological Processes, 28(3): 1399–1408.
No related articles found!