External conditions, seed characteristics and other factors affecting seed germination of alpine species

Germination is the most critical and vulnerable stage in the life cycle of many plants and it directly influences the regeneration potential of populations and thus long-term survival of species. Species germination is affected by external conditions such as light, temperature and moisture acting both during germination (target conditions) and on maternal plants during their life (original conditions). Target and original conditions can interact and affect seed germination as well. The strong temperature and moisture control of seed germination suggests that species recruitment rates and success may be strongly impacted by ongoing climatic changes. Simultaneously, species germination is influenced by characteristics of the seeds themselves, such as, seed mass or seed nutrient content, which can be affected by external climatic conditions as well. This thesis aimed to i) investigate the effect of temperature and moisture acting separately and in interaction as target conditions, original conditions and as interaction between target and original conditions on germination behaviour of alpine species; ii) study effect of seed origin on seed mass and seed nutrient content and their effect on germination; iii) explore how abundance of species is affected by germination behaviour in central European..