Authors: Stanton, Sharon; Torrado, Stefanie Boavida; Honnay, Olivier

Source: Plant Ecology and Evolution, Volume 143, Number 2, July 2010 , pp. 113-118(6)

Publisher: National Botanic Garden of Belgium and Royal Botanical Society of Belgium

Abstract:

Background and aims - Despite being a rather common species throughout Europe, little is known about the effects of habitat change on the fitness of Viscum album. We expected to find a reduction in fitness in V. album populations growing in fragmented habitats resulting from a loss of genetic diversity through increased inbreeding.

Methods - We studied seed germination as a measure of fitness among sixteen Belgian V. album populations varying in size and degree of isolation to investigate the fitness consequences of habitat fragmentation. Populations were sampled from two landscapes differing in their degree of habitat fragmentation and V. album population characteristics. We also compared germination percentages of three populations at three different temperatures (5, 20, 30°C) to examine the potential effects of climate change on V. album regeneration in northern Europe.

Key results - Germination percentages (at 20°C) were high (69-100%) and we found no evidence of relationships between germination and population size, density, or area. There was no direct relationship between germination percentage and population isolation within study regions, but connectivity among populations appears to be important. Samples from the more fragmented habitat showed a negative correlation between germination percentage and the proportion of females, suggesting reduced mate availability and pollination resulting from increased isolation of populations. There was no significant difference in mean germination percentages among the three temperature treatments, but the high temperature samples (30°C) exhibited the highest variation in germination success.

Conclusion - Our results suggest that V. album has evolved high germination success to compensate for limited success in establishing on a host plant. Successful germination under a wide range of environmental conditions is expected to increase the likelihood of establishing on host plants, possibly helping V. album respond to changes in climate.

References: 28 references open in new window

Articles that cite this article?

Keywords: MISTLETOE; HABITAT FRAGMENTATION; INBREEDING; GERMINATION PERCENTAGE

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2010.413

Publication date: 2010-07-01

More about this publication?

• Plant Ecology and Evolution (a continuation of Belgian Journal of Botany, incorporating Systematics and Geography of Plants) is an international journal devoted to ecology, phylogenetics and systematics of all 'plant' groups in the traditional sense (including algae, cyanobacteria, fungi, myxomycetes), also covering related fields such as comparative and developmental morphology, conservation biology, ecophysiology, evolution, phytogeography, pollen and spores, population biology, and vegetation studies. It contains original research papers, review articles, short communications and book reviews.

• Editorial Board
• Submit a Paper
• Subscribe to this Title
• Belgian Journal of Botany
• Systematics and Geography of Plants
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Plant Culture ,  Botany ,  Ecology
• By this author: Stanton, Sharon ;  Torrado, Stefanie Boavida ;  Honnay, Olivier

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers