Abstract

The question of whether or not perennial plants senesce at the organism level remains unresolved. The aim of this study was to unravel whether or not plant age can influence the production and composition of seeds. Flower and seed production was examined in 3-, 8-, and 13-year-old Cistus albidus plants growing in experimental plots corresponding to the F2, F1, and F0 generations of the same population. Furthermore, the phytohormone, fatty acid, and vitamin E content of the seeds was evaluated, and their viability was examined. Whether or not age-related differences in seed quality were observed in a natural population in the Montserrat Mountains (NE Spain) was also tested. The results indicate that under controlled conditions, the oldest plants not only produced fewer flowers, but also had higher rates of embryo abortion in mature seeds. However, germination capacity was not negatively affected by plant ageing. Seeds of the oldest plants contained significantly higher salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and vitamin E levels compared with those from younger plants. Despite vigour (in terms of plant growth) being severely reduced due to harsh environmental conditions in the natural population, the oldest individuals produced seeds with no decline in viability. Seed biomass was instead positively correlated with seed viability. In conclusion, increased plant size may explain the loss of seed viability in the experimental field, but older smaller individuals in natural populations can escape senescence in terms of seed viability loss.

Highlights

  • It is well documented that annual plants enter a controlled senescence programme

  • The study performed in the Experimental Fields showed clear signs of senescence in the 13-year-old plants, in which flower production was 40% lower than in the 8-year-old plant group

  • This is not surprising, since it has been well documented that when perennials reach an optimal plant size, plant ageing leads to a reduction in growth and photosynthetic rates in leaves (Bond, 2000; Koch et al, 2004; Mencuccini et al, 2005; Oñate and Munné-Bosch, 2008); evidence of reproductive senescence in non-clonal woody perennials is limited

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Summary

Introduction

It is well documented that annual plants enter a controlled senescence programme In most cases, this is associated with flowering in monocarpic plants (annuals, biennials, and some perennials with a single reproductive episode). While some recent studies have shown symptoms of senescence at the whole-plant level in iteroparous perennials (Ally et al, 2010; Herrera and Jovani, 2010), other studies failed to report senescence symptoms with plant ageing (García et al, 2011; Morales et al, 2013) These results present new challenges for general theories of biological ageing, as they question whether or not ageing of living organisms is a universal pattern in nature. The arguments against these theories are based, at least in part, on the fact that perennials maintain the capacity to develop new leaves and grow throughout their

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