Abstract
Urbanization can alter environmental factors that affect the morphologicaland germinative characteristics of seeds. We evaluated the influence of anurban-rural gradient on the morphometrics of the fruits and seeds ofCenostigma macrophyllum Tul. (Fabaceae) and on seed germinability in theregion near Teresina, Piaui State, Brazil. One hundred fruits were collectedin the urban zone and 100 in the rural area, and the lengths, widths,thicknesses, and weights of both the fruits and seeds were measured,as well as the numbers of seeds per fruit. The seeds were then used ingreenhouse germination experiments (during two months) to calculate thepercentages of emergence (E%) and survival (S%), the emergence rate index(ERI), synchronization index (Z), and Timson’s index (T). The results showedsignificant statistical differences between the two areas in terms of thebiometric patterns of the fruits and seeds as well as seed germination, withhigher values in the urban zone. As such, urbanization was found to affectthe morphologies and germination processes of plant species.
Highlights
The lifecycles of plants include the critical phase of seed germination, which can directly influence their community structure, species conservation, and forest regeneration (LIU et al, 2017; SOUZA; FAGUNDES, 2014)
Heat Islands”) and demonstrate low humidity levels due to the greater impermeability of their soils and surfaces (ARGÜESO et al, 2014). Those environments present the control of water availability by irrigation, with water availability being among the principal activators of the reproductive phase of plants – mainly in environments with well-defined dry seasons (ZHANG; ZHANG; TIAN, 2012). Those environmental factors observed in urban areas can influence the morphological characteristics of fruits and seeds and, under favorable environmental conditions, it might be expected that their greater seed sizes and masses would positively influence germination and establishment
The morphometrics of the seeds were similar to those of the fruits, with their measurements being greater in the urban area when compared to the rural area (Table 1)
Summary
The lifecycles of plants include the critical phase of seed germination, which can directly influence their community structure, species conservation, and forest regeneration (LIU et al, 2017; SOUZA; FAGUNDES, 2014). Heat Islands”) and demonstrate low humidity levels due to the greater impermeability of their soils and surfaces (ARGÜESO et al, 2014) Those environments present the control of water availability by irrigation, with water availability being among the principal activators of the reproductive phase of plants – mainly in environments with well-defined dry seasons (ZHANG; ZHANG; TIAN, 2012). Those environmental factors observed in urban areas (and others, such as high CO2 levels and high solar radiation) can influence the morphological characteristics of fruits and seeds and, under favorable environmental conditions, it might be expected that their greater seed sizes and masses would positively influence germination and establishment
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