| Title | Reproductive strategies in desert annuals: test of a fixed germination hypothesis |
| Publication Type | Thesis |
| Year of Publication | 1978 |
| Authors | Freas K.E. |
| Number of Pages | 23 |
| Date Published | 1978 |
| University | New Mexico State University |
| City | Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Thesis Type | M.S. Thesispp |
| Call Number | 00668 |
| Keywords | annual plant, germination, dissertation, dissertations, germination, annual plant, reproduction, annual plant, theses, thesis |
| Abstract | In order to optimize reproduction in unpredictable environments, Cohen has hypothesized that desert annual plant populations maintain a constant proportion of germinating seeds. The two mechanisms by which a population might maintain this germination proportion, constant at the level of the individual, or a constant population mean, have been investigated through a series of germination tests with the annual species, Pectis angustifolia Torr. (Lemonweed). Results indicate that neither of these mechanisms function to maintain a constant germination proportion. Rather, the data suggest an alternative optimal reproductive strategy by which germination proportion increases in response to increased precipitation. |
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Science-based management strategies for sustainability of agriculture and other land uses
