title: Acorn cotyledons are larger than their seedlings' need: evidence from artificial cutting experiments.
abstract: Although the consequences of cotyledon removal have been widely studied in oaks producing large acorns, we have little knowledge of at what level cotyledons can be removed without affecting acorn survival and seedling development. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the amount of energy reserves in cotyledons is more than the demands of seedlings and that large acorns can tolerate seed predation and/or attract seed predators for seed dispersal. Acorn germination rates were not affected even when 60% of cotyledons were cut off at the basal end, suggesting that the energy reserves contained in cotyledons are not essential for acorn survival. Post-cut acorn mass, more than initial acorn mass, appear to be a better predictor of seedling performance, indicating that the energy reserves in cotyledons are sufficient for seedlings. Acorns with large masses sustained cotyledon damage better than small ones with respect to seedling performance. Large acorns were more likely to be dispersed and cached by animals, implying that producing large acorns is more important for oaks to manipulate seed predators and dispersers rather than provide a seedling with cotyledonary reserves.
authors: College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.
authors: Xianfeng
authors: X
authors: Yi
authors: College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.
authors: Zhenyu
authors: Z
authors: Wang
authors: College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China.
authors: Changqu
authors: C
authors: Liu
authors: College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China.
authors: Guoqiang
authors: G
authors: Liu
authors: College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China.
authors: Mingming
authors: M
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D018548:Cotyledon / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D016014:Linear Models; D009929:Organ Size; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D029963:Quercus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012377:Rodentia; D058614:Seed Dispersal / Q000502:physiology; D036226:Seedlings / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
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