The seeds of invasive plant Triadica sebifera never changed when they return to provenance for five years

Abstract

Abstract Successful germination and establishment of invasive plants is a key early step in the invasive process which influences the invasive potential. Previous studies have focused on differences in traits between native and invasive plants, but few studies have explored the evolutionary changes in seeds when invasive plants were reintroduced into their homeland. We planted seeds (F1) of 13 Triadica sebifera populations that invaded the United States into their native habitat (31°45′N, 114°39′E, Dawu, China) in 2014. After F1 seeds matured (2019), we collected their seeds (F2) and the seeds of 30 native populations. We tested the differences in physical and chemical properties, seed hormones, and germination traits between the seeds of reintroduced and native Triadica sebifera populations. Although we did not find significant differences in physical and chemical properties and germination traits between the seeds of reintroduced and native Triadica sebifera populations, generally the various contents in reintroduced Triadica sebifera populations were higher than native Triadica sebifera populations. Besides, we found that the seeds of reintroduced populations had significantly higher levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and three gibberellins (GAs) but significantly lower l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid (ACC) and the ratios of total GA (TGA) to ABA than the seeds of native populations. Dewaxed seed masses and TGA were positively correlated with germination traits, while ACC and ABA were negatively correlated with germination traits. These results suggested that the seeds of invasive plant Triadica sebifera never changed when they from the United States return to its provenance for five years, which could enrich our poor cognition about seed properties changes after experiencing different environments and were beneficial to control invasive plants.