The effects of parental CO2 environment on seed quality and subsequent seedling performance in Bromusrubens.

Seeds were collected and compared from parent plants of Bromusrubens L. (Poaceae), an exotic Mojave Desert annual grass, grown in ambient (360 µmol mol-1) and elevated (700 µmol mol-1) CO2 to determine if parental CO2 growth conditions affected seed quality. Performance of seeds developed on the above plants was evaluated to determine the influence of parental CO2 growth conditions on germination, growth rate, and leaf production. Seeds of B. rubens developed on parents grown in elevated CO2 had a larger pericarp surface area, higher C:N ratio, and less total mass than ambient-developed seeds. Parental CO2 environment did not have an effect on germination percentage or mean germination time, as determined by radicle emergence. Seedlings from elevated-CO2-developed seeds had a reduced relative growth rate and achieved smaller final mass over the same growth period. Elevated-CO2-developed seeds had smaller seed reserves than ambient seeds, as determined by growing seedlings in sterile media and monitoring senescence. It appears that increased seed C:N ratios associated with plants grown under elevated CO2 may have a major effect on seed quality (morphology, nutrition) and seedling performance (e.g., growth rate and leaf production). Since the invasive success of B. rubens is primarily due to its ability to rapidly germinate, increase leaf area and maintain a relatively high growth rate compared to native annuals and perennial grasses, reductions in seed quality and seedling performance in elevated CO2 may have significant impacts on future community composition in the Mojave Desert.

Radiation frost susceptibility and the association between sky exposure and leaf size.

Plants growing in exposed and sheltered habitats have characteristic leaf structure and physiology that are traditionally associated with the total amount of incident sunlight. However, greater sky exposure also increases the susceptibility of leaves to radiation frost. Plants with large horizontal broadleaves are particularly susceptible to both overheating during the day and freezing at night. Moreover, the combined effects of high daytime sun-exposure and nighttime frost susceptibility could be particularly stressful to plant tissues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of elevation and microsite exposure (i.e. net loss of longwave radiation) on frost susceptibility, as well as the corresponding intraspecific variation in leaf size in the subalpine daisy (Erigeron peregrinus). Measured decreases in upper hemisphere infrared radiation (sky IR) of 0.014 W m-2 m-1 occurred with increasing elevation, beyond decreases predicted due to changes in air temperature and water content, resulting in an average decrease of 0.029 W m-2 m-1. Previous equations of sky IR based on air temperature and humidity were improved by adding this elevational term (r 2 improved from 0.52 to 0.71). In contrast, a mean decrease of 6.5 W m-2 m-1 occurred with increasing sky exposure across a subalpine meadow. Leaf size in Taraxacum officinale decreased linearly with increasing elevation and a corresponding decline in sky IR. No difference in daily solar irradiance was measured across the same elevational gradient. Also, E. peregrinus had smaller leaves at high elevation microsites with greater sky exposure and decreased sky IR, while there was a much weaker association between leaf size and the amount of total daily solar irradiance. Differences in plant leaf structure and physiology traditionally associated with daytime sun-exposure may also be influenced by nighttime sky exposure and the susceptibility to radiation frosts.