RT Journal Article
T1 Fruit wings accelerate germination in Anacyclus clavatus
A1 Torices, Rubén
A1 De Soto Suárez, Lucía
A1 Cerca, José
A1 Mota, Lucie
A1 Afonso, Ana
A1 Poyatos, Cristina
AB PremiseThe lateral membranous expansions of fruits, commonly referred to as wings, have long been theorized to serve only dispersal functions. Alternatively, because winged fruits typically have earlier seed germination than unwinged fruits, we hypothesized that wings could increase the contact surface with water, ultimately triggering earlier germination.MethodsWe investigated this alternative hypothesis by exploring the potential role of fruit wings on germination in the heterocarpic species Anacyclus clavatus (Desf.) Pers. (Asteraceae), which produces both winged and unwinged fruits. First, we measured the speed and degree of water absorption in winged and unwinged fruits. Second, we investigated the effects of wings on germination performance, by either reducing wing size or by preventing water absorption by sealing wings with wax. Next, we tested the influence of water availability on the germination performance of winged and unwinged fruits by reducing the water potential.ResultsWinged fruits absorbed more water at a faster rate than unwinged fruits. The sealing of wings delayed germination, whereas germination time was not significantly altered by wing cutting. The restriction of water availability by decreasing water potential significantly delayed seed germination of unwinged fruits, whereas winged fruits remained unaffected.ConclusionsAltogether, our results support the effect of wings on germination and cast doubt on the unique role of wings in dispersal. Whether or not wings contribute to dispersal, we propose that they also improve seed germination and seedling establishment by facilitating water absorption after the release from their mother plants.
PB Wiley
SN 0002-9122
YR 2024
FD 2024-01-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/119793
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/119793
LA eng
NO Torices, R., DeSoto, L., Cerca, J., Mota, L., Afonso, A., & Poyatos, C. (2024). Fruit wings accelerate germination in Anacyclus clavatus. American Journal of Botany, 111(1), e16272. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16272.
NO "Acknowledgments: The authors thank Aleksandra M. Górska, Aleksandra Filipowich, Silvia Castro, and Blanca Fontanella for their assistance with fruit measurements, experimental setup, and early discussions on the experimental design. Anonymous referees and the editor Joseph Williams made significant contributions for new experiments and improvements of the final text. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2010-18039) and Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (RYC 2010–0375) (R.T.)."
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 dic 2025