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<p>Urbanization significantly affects plant morphological traits and ecological functions over time, yet research on perennial species remains limited. Here, we conducted a 4-year study to investigate acorn traits, dispersal, and seedling growth performance of <i>Quercus variabilis</i> along a city-rural gradient in Wuhan, a rapidly urbanizing megacity in central China. We aimed to (1) quantify changes of acorn physical traits and insect infestation across the city-rural gradient and its association with experimental tree and patch characteristics; (2) compare animal-mediated dispersal efficiency between acorns of urban trees and rural trees (hereafter, city acorns and rural acorns); and (3) evaluate city and rural acorn germination and seedling growth performance. Results indicated that (1) city acorns were smaller and had lower infestation than rural acorns; (2) the changes of acorn mass, acorn shape, and infestation rates were mainly associated with patch area; and (3) city acorns had lower dispersal frequencies, shorter dispersal distance, and poorer seedling growth performance than rural acorns. These results suggest that urbanization-induced environmental changes have enhanced the variation of acorn traits in <i>Q. variabilis</i>, impairing acorn dispersal and seedling establishment. These findings provide novel insights into urbanization-mediated seed variation in perennial plants and contribute to understanding the ecological effects of urbanization.</p>

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Seeds of a perennial plant (Quercus variabilis) were smaller, dispersed less frequently and shorter, and had poorer seedling growth performance in city areas than in rural areas

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月23日

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  • Hengyue Zhao,
  • Min Zhang,
  • Zhiwen Chen,
  • Xinyue Chen,
  • Lu Chen,
  • Chao Zhang,
  • Hongyu Niu,
  • Hongmao Zhang

摘要

Urbanization significantly affects plant morphological traits and ecological functions over time, yet research on perennial species remains limited. Here, we conducted a 4-year study to investigate acorn traits, dispersal, and seedling growth performance of Quercus variabilis along a city-rural gradient in Wuhan, a rapidly urbanizing megacity in central China. We aimed to (1) quantify changes of acorn physical traits and insect infestation across the city-rural gradient and its association with experimental tree and patch characteristics; (2) compare animal-mediated dispersal efficiency between acorns of urban trees and rural trees (hereafter, city acorns and rural acorns); and (3) evaluate city and rural acorn germination and seedling growth performance. Results indicated that (1) city acorns were smaller and had lower infestation than rural acorns; (2) the changes of acorn mass, acorn shape, and infestation rates were mainly associated with patch area; and (3) city acorns had lower dispersal frequencies, shorter dispersal distance, and poorer seedling growth performance than rural acorns. These results suggest that urbanization-induced environmental changes have enhanced the variation of acorn traits in Q. variabilis, impairing acorn dispersal and seedling establishment. These findings provide novel insights into urbanization-mediated seed variation in perennial plants and contribute to understanding the ecological effects of urbanization.