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The reproductive stages of the life cycle are crucial in explaining the distribution patterns of plant species because of their extreme vulnerability to environmental conditions. Despite reported evidence that seed germination is related to habitat macroclimatic characteristics, such as mean annual temperature, the effect of this trait in controlling plant species distribution has not yet been systematically and quantitatively evaluated. To learn whether seed germination can predict species distribution along altitude gradients, we examined germination data of 36 Rhododendron species in southeastern Tibet originating from contrasting altitudes, habitats, plant heights, seed masses, and phylogenies. Germination varied significantly with altitude, habitat, plant height, and phylogeny and was higher in the light than in the dark. Germination percentage was highest at 10:20°C in the light and 15:25°C in the dark. As altitude increased, germination percentages first rose and then decreased, being highest at 3,500–4,000 m. Germination percentage and rate were highest on rocky slopes, increasing as seed mass and plant height rose. Variations in germination percentage and rate were not significant at subgenera, section, and subsection levels, but they were significant at species level. The results suggested that the relationship between germination and altitude may provide insights into species distribution patterns. Further, germination patterns are a result of long‐term evolution as well as taxonomic constraints.

Due to significant decreases in precipitation in northern China, knowledge of the response of seed germination and plant growth characteristics to key limiting factors is essential for vegetation restoration. We examined seed germination under different temperatures and water potentials, and we examined seedling growth under different amounts of water supply. Experiments were carried out in automatic temperature‐, humidity‐, and light‐controlled growth chambers. Under low water potentials, the final germination percentages of four herbaceous species were high, while seed germination of the shrub species Caragana microphylla was significantly inhibited. Under the different water supply amounts, seedlings of Agropyron cristatum allocated more biomass to the root and had a higher growth rate than those of Elymus dahuricus and C. microphylla. In light of these results and drier environmental conditions (annual mean precipitation is 366 mm, which falling mainly between June and August), potential selections for revegetation of different landscapes include the following: A. cristatum for shifting sand dunes, the establishment of the pioneer species Agriophyllum squarrosum, C. microphylla for semifixed sand dunes, E. dahuricus for fixed sand dunes, and Melilotus suaveolens and Medicago sativa for cultivation.

Artemisia sphaerocephala and A. ordosica are two dominant shrub species in Mu Us sandy land (Inner Mongolia, China) and are widely used for vegetation restoration. However, there are two different conclusions about the effect of light on their germination: light promotes germination versus light inhibits germination. The aim of this study was to evaluate these two conclusions and relate the results to instances of failure of these two species to germinate well when air-dispersed in revegetation projects. The effects of fluctuating temperature, light/dark, source (population), position on mother plant, storage condition, and storage time were tested on germination of achenes of these two species. At low temperature, final percent germination (FPG) of achenes in dark and nearly dark conditions was significantly higher than those in light. At 10:20°C, achenes of both A. sphaerocephala and A. ordosica had higher FPG in dark than in light regardless of source, position on mother plants or storage condition. At suboptimum (5:15°C) and supraoptimal (25:35°C) temperatures, germination of A. sphaerocephala and A. ordosica achenes was inhibited in both light and darkness. It was concluded that light inhibits germination of A. sphaerocephala and A. ordosica achenes at low (10:20°C) temperature but not at high (15:25°C) temperature. Since the temperature in Mu Us sandy land is around 10:20°C in early June, when air sowing is done, achenes should germinate best when they are covered by a thin layer of sand.

Four dominant psammophyte species are air-seeded in attempts to revegetate the Mu Us sandy land in Inner Mongolia, but seedling emergence is low. This study sought to clarify the behaviour of seedling emergence under different water supply and sand burial regimes to improve the technology of air seeding. Seeds were buried in sand at depths of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 5 cm and supplied one time with 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 30 or 40 mm of water or with 2.5 mm once every 3 days for 30 days. Our study showed that a 0.5-cm burial depth and under 10- to 20-mm single-watering regimes resulted in highest seedling emergence percentage and rate of these four species. All emerged seedlings of Caragana korshinskii, Hedysarum laeve and Artemisia ordosica died under 2.5, 5 and 7.5 mm of watering, respectively, but seedling mortality was 10 mm. In the field, germination of the four species increased from the top of the dune to the middle of the leeward side and then to the bottom. Based on precipitation pattern in the Mu Us sandy land, our study indicates that 0.5-cm burial depth and a single-watering regime of >7.5 mm is the threshold condition for seedling emergence.

In this paper, we evaluated the seed germination responses of seven desert species to temperature and light and explored the implications for vegetation restoration. Both temperature and photon irradiance influenced seed germination of these species. Based on these results and the environmental conditions of their natural habitat, suggestions about plant choices for different habitats including shifting sand dunes, semi-fixed sand dunes and fixed sand dunes are given. Based on the precipitation and temperature conditions, early May is suitable for seed sowing in the study area., Germination cues reflect the conditions under which a species is likely to succeed in recruitment. Therefore, knowledge of the seed germination characteristics of key plant species in desertified areas is essential for restoration. The aims of this study were to evaluate the seed germination responses of seven native species, and to explore the implications for vegetation restoration. Seeds of seven desert species were sown in Petri dishes and subjected to various temperature and light conditions. The seeds germinated well at day/night temperatures of 25/15 °C and 30/20 °C but poorly at 35/25 °C. Seeds germinated best in the dark, and final germination percentages of all species were strongly inhibited at a photon irradiance of 1000 µmol m−2 s−1. Based on these results and the environmental conditions of their natural habitat, Agropyron cristatum and Artemisia halodendron are best adapted to shifting sand dunes: Elymus dahuricus, Caragana korshinskii and C. microphylla for semi-fixed sand dunes: and Medicago sativa and Melilotus suaveolen for fixed sand dunes. If seeds are sown in early May, they will likely be buried in sand, and the precipitation and temperature conditions will be suitable for seedling survival.

Artemisia ordosica Krasch. (Asteraceae) is the dominant psammophytic shrub species on the Ordos Plateau of northern China and is used for revegetation of semi-arid areas. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of light intensity, constant temperature, alternating temperatures, and water potential on germination to determine why air-dispersed achenes fail to germinate well in the field. Achenes germinated within a wide alternating temperature window, except under the 5:15 °C (night:day) temperature regime in darkness. Final percent germination (FPG) was higher in darkness than in light at alternating temperature regimes, except under the 20:30 °C (night:day) temperature regime. Achenes subjected to a range of constant temperatures in the dark had high FPG over 76.8% except at 30 °C (8%). Photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) of 100 and 400 µmol·m–2·s–1 significantly lowered FPG under a 10:20 °C (night:day) regime, while at 0–25 µmol·m–2·s–1 PPFD, the FPG was over 92%. Few achenes germinated at –1.4 MPa. The most suitable temperature for germination of achenes placed under water stress was 20 °C. The best timing for air dispersal is mid-May, so seeds would become covered with sand at a time when temperature and soil moisture conditions were optimal for germination.Key words: air dispersal, Artemisia ordosica, hydrothermal time, psammophytes, semi-arid regions, temperature.

Summary Artemisia sphaerocephala is widely used for vegetation rehabilitation, but its germination is very low after air seeding of achenes. We explored effects of light, temperature and water stress on germination. Results show that both final percent germination and germination rate were increased by temperature increment, with the highest values occurring at 15: 25°C (night: day) in dark and 20: 30°C under light. Light inhibited germination, especially at lower alternating temperatures (5: 15°C and 10: 20°C). The alternating temperature window for germination was slightly narrower under light than in dark, and germination was slower under light than in dark across the temperature range. Achenes incubated in the dark and at constant temperatures had over 80% germination at 10 to 25°C, with an optimum at 20°C. Under dark and 25μmol m-2 s-1 light flux density at 10: 20°C, final percent germination was over 94%, but if the light flux density was increased to 100 and 400 μmol m-2 s-1, final percent germination was significantly lower (64% and 38% respectively). However, achenes could keep their germination capacity for a long time (over 50 days) and germinate well after going back to the dark. Germination was also lower under water stress and few achenes germinated at -1.4 MPa. This was more pronounced at high and low temperatures. Given these findings and the prevailing climatic characteristics, the most suitable time for air seeding of achenes may be mid-May.

� Background and Aims Air seeding has long been regarded as a quick and successful measure for vegetation rehabilitation in China. However, seedling emergence of often-used species including Agriophyllum squarrosum, Artemisia sphaerocephala, Artemisia ordosica, Hedysarum fruticosum, Caragana korshinskii and Medicago sativa is low. Experiments were conducted under controlled conditions to study the effects of sowing depth and water supply on seedling emergence, in order to understand the requirements for increasing seedling emergence. � Methods Seeds were exposed to different environments of burial and water supply regimes in PVC pots (7 cm in diameter and 11 cm in height) under the same light intensity and alternating temperature regimes in a growth chamber. � Key Results Seedlings of three species (Agriophyllum squarrosum,Artemisia sphaerocephala,Artemisia ordosica) with relatively light seeds emerged well at a 0� 5 cm sowing depth under a 7� 5 and 10 mm water supply regime. However, few seedlings of these species emerged when the sowing depth was over 1 cm or when water supply was 5 mm. Seedlings ofCaragana korshinskii,Hedysarum fruticosum andMedicago sativa emerged from sowing depths of 0� 5–4 cm, 0� 5–3 cm, and 0� 5–4 cm, respectively, under both 7� 5 and 10 mm water supply regimes. Under a 5 mm water supply regime, seedlings of these species also emerged at over 1 cm sowing depth. Seeds of all six species sown on the surface of sand did not germinate, and seedlings did not emerge when they were sown at depths greater than 6 cm. � Conclusions Based on these experiments, a 0� 5 cm sowing depth resulted in the highest seedling emergence and it is concluded that this is the optimal sowing depth for seedling emergence of all six species.

Agriophyllum squarrosum (L.) Moq. (Chenopodiaceae), a pioneer species of natural succession in semi-arid regions of China, is widely used for vegetation rehabilitation by air seeding. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of light intensity and photoperiod, as well as constant and alternating temperatures, on germination to improve the technology of air seeding. Seed of A. squarrosum rarely (–2·s–1) photoperiod. Under dark conditions there was a high final percent seed germination (>90%), except for 71.8% final percent seed germination at 5/15 °C. Constant temperature conditions were associated with lower seed germination (–2·s–1) at 10/20 °C. There was no significant difference in final percent germination when seeds were exposed to 400, 100, or 25 µmol m–2 s–1 for 2 h daily. Final percent germination and germination rate deceased rapidly when the photoperiod was increased under 400 µmol·m–2·s–1. Only 49.2% of seeds germinated after 3 d. Because of the deleterious effect of light on germination, air seeding in late May is recommended.Key words: Agriophyllum squarrosum, air seeding, alternating temperature, constant temperature, light, semi-arid regions.

Caragana korshinskii Kom. is a very important shrub species for vegetation rehabilitation in northern China for its high ecological and economic values. Experiments were conducted to determine its germination responses to (i) different temperature regimes under light and/or dark conditions, (ii) different light intensities, and (iii) different water potentials combined with varied constant temperatures. Under alternating temperatures (from 5:15 to 25:35°C), final percent germinations of Caragana korshinskii were quite similar. In dark conditions, constant temperatures resulted in lower final percent germinations than alternating temperatures. At a controlled temperature regime of 10:20°C, neither final percent germinations nor germination rates showed significant differences among varied light intensities. As water potentials were reduced from 0 (distilled water) to −0.6 MPa, final percent germinations increased slightly and reached the peak at approximately −0.6 MPa, however, the increment was not significant. Beyond −0.6 MPa, further water potential reduction led to decreased final percent germinations and few seeds could germinate at −1.4 MPa. Water stress also strongly inhibited germination at very high or low temperatures. The experimental results suggested that middle May might be a suitable time for aerial seeding for this species.

In this study we aimed to determine whether a sequential distribution pattern along an aridity gradient is related to seed germination and seedling emergence of three Caragana species. The study tested the adaptive abilities of these species to major sandy environment factors including soil water potential, precipitation amount, and sand burial depth. The rank order of tolerance to drought and sand burial of the three species is C. korshinskii>C. intermedia>C. microphylla. The amount of precipitation and sand burial depth appear to be the main selective forces responsible for the geographical distribution of these species., Environmental tolerance of a species has been shown to correlate positively with its geographical range. On the Ordos Plateau, three Caragana species are distributed sequentially along the precipitation gradient. We hypothesized that this geographical distribution pattern is related to environmental tolerances of the three Caragana species during seed germination and seedling emergence stages. To test this hypothesis, we examined seed germination under different temperature, light and water potentials, and monitored seedling emergence for seeds buried at eight sand depths and given different amounts of water. Seeds of C. korshinskii germinated to high percentages at 5 : 15 to 25 : 35 °C in both light and darkness, while those of C. intermedia and C. microphylla did so only at 15 : 25 and 25 : 35 °C, respectively. Nearly 30 % of the C. korshinskii seeds germinated at −1.4 MPa at 20 and 25 °C, while no seeds of the other two species did so. Under the same treatments, seedling emergence percentages of C. korshinskii were higher than those of the other two species. The rank order of tolerance to drought and sand burial of the three species is C. korshinskii > C. intermedia > C. microphylla. The amount of precipitation and sand burial depth appear to be the main selective forces responsible for the geographical distribution of these species.

Hedysarum fruticosum is one of the common species for combating desertification in the semi-arid area of China, mainly because of its ability of efficient regeneration from seed and quick clonal growth. In this study, experiments were conducted to determine the effects of light intensity, constant temperature, alternating temperature and water potential (generated by PEG) on seed germination of H. fruticosum. It was found that under alternating temperature regimes, final percent germination increased from 87.2% to 99.2% when temperature increased from 5:15°C (night:day) to 10:20°C, then decreased with increasing temperature; germination could not take place at all under 25:35°C conditions in a 14h (215μmol m − 2 s − 1 ) photoperiod. Under dark conditions there was a similar final percent germination to that under light. The germination pattern under constant temperature conditions was similar to that under alternating temperature, and there were no significant differences in final percent germination and germination rate between alternating and constant temperature. Under varying light intensities, final percent germination of H. fruticosum showed no significant differences, with values always above 74.4%. When water potentials were reduced, final percent germination decreased dramatically, and few seeds could germinate at − 0.2MPa. The germination rate showed a pattern similar to that of final percent germination with changing water potentials. Based on the experimental results and environmental conditions in the study area, H. fruticosum seeds should be dispersed from early to mid-May so that germination requirements can be fulfilled and higher germination is possible.