Effects of fruit position on fruit mass and seed germination in the alien species Heracleum mantegazzianum (Apiaceae) and the implications for its invasion

Abstract

The aims of this paper are to determine whether the effect of position of fruit on a plant affects the germination characteristics of seed of Heracleum mantegazzianum (Apiaceae), a Caucasian species invasive in Europe, and the germination potential of this species. Reproductive characteristics of H. mantegazzianum were studied at seven sites in the Czech Republic where this species is abundant. Fruits were collected and weighed from eight plants at each site, from three umbel types (terminal, satellite and branch) and two fruit positions within an umbel (central or marginal). Characteristics of individual umbels (duration of flowering, size) and plants (fecundity, age, height, basal diameter) were recorded. Percentage germination and germination rate (time to when 50% of the seeds had germinated) were assessed. At each site, fruit mass and percentage germination varied greatly among plants. Fruits from terminal inflorescences were heavier than those from satellites and branches, and those produced in the centre of an umbel were heavier than those from the margin. Mean percentage germination was 91%, which varied among sites but was not affected by fruit position on a plant. Germination rate increased with fruit mass. Neither umbel size nor time of flowering had a significant effect on germination characteristics. At some sites, there was a negative relationship between fruit mass and plant height. A combination of reproductive traits (high fecundity, high germination capacity, opportunistic behaviour associated with limited effect of fruit position on a plant on germination characteristics) might determine this species ability to successfully invade new habitats.