Reproductive Ecology and Viability Assessment of Jurinea cadmea Subspecies Distributed in Western Anatolia: Implications for Conservation and Biodiversity

Abstract

In this study, the reproductive capacity of endemic Jurinea cadmea subspecies, J. cadmea subsp. cadmea, and J. cadmea subsp. nifensis was investigated, focusing on pollen, stigma, seed viability, and seed germination. Plant materials were collected from natural populations in Western Anatolia (Nif Mountain, Bozdağ, Babadağ and Muğla Oyuklu Mountain) between 2017 and 2020. The tests employed in this study included the MTT (2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide-thiazolyl blue) test for pollen viability, the Peroxide test for stigma viability, the TTC (2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) test for seed viability, and seed germination tests under different conditions, with and without pre-treatment (wet-cold stratification). The study revealed high viability of mature pollen, stigma, and seeds, indicating successful reproductive capacity. Seed germination experiments showed that most populations exhibited high germination rates in light conditions. After 30 days of stratification, seeds showed very low germination in light and dark conditions, but after 60 days at 4⁰C, Nif Mountain, Bozdağ, and Muğla Mountain (short) populations exhibited germination rates above 80%. However, Babadağ population showed low seed germination in light and dark conditions. This study has significantly contributed to our understanding of the reproductive biology of both subspecies.