Cephalotus follicularis is an ecologically unique, taxonomically isolated and range-restricted carnivorous plant that occurs exclusively within vulnerable wetland habitats in coastal south-western Australia. Very little is known about the reproductive biology of this iconic plant species, particularly in relation to seed dormancy and the specific requirements for germination. This knowledge gap must be filled to facilitate the establishment of conservation and management initiatives for the species, as Cephalotus is increasingly impacted by habitat loss, alteration to natural hydrological and fire regimes and, in recent times, climatic change. This study aimed to determine the type of seed dormancy that the seeds of Cephalotus possess, determine the optimum conditions required for seed germination, and examine the storage behaviour of seeds. The seeds of Cephalotus are small (1.0 × 0.5 mm), lightweight (0.1 mg) and remain indehiscent within a wind-dispersed hairy achene. Results suggest that the seeds may exhibit some sensitivity to desiccation and appear to be short lived (<12 months) when stored at 23°C. Maximum germination was achieved after 16 weeks incubation at 15°C for seeds removed from the protective outer layer of the achene, while seeds retained within the protective outer layer displayed lower germination success. The post-ripening morphological changes in the embryo, limited response to gibberellic acid, and the long time period required for germination suggests that the seeds exhibit morphophysiological dormancy, with a fraction of seeds remaining dormant for a period of time post-dispersal. These results highlight the importance of limiting hydrological alteration within the few remaining habitats that continue to support Cephalotus, but to ensure its long-term protection, further research focusing on phenology and in situ recruitment is required.

中文翻译：

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奥尔巴尼猪笼草的种子萌发生物学，Cephalotus follicularis

Cephalotus follicularis 是一种生态独特、分类学上孤立且范围受限的食肉植物，仅出现在澳大利亚西南部沿海脆弱的湿地栖息地中。人们对这种标志性植物物种的生殖生物学知之甚少，特别是与种子休眠和发芽的具体要求有关。必须填补这一知识空白，以促进为该物种制定保护和管理计划，因为 Cephalotus 越来越多地受到栖息地丧失、自然水文和火灾状况改变以及最近气候变化的影响。本研究旨在确定三叶草种子具有的种子休眠类型，确定种子萌发所需的最佳条件，并检查种子的储存行为。Cephalotus 的种子小（1.0 × 0.5 毫米）、重量轻（0.1 毫克）并且在风弥散的多毛瘦果中保持不裂。结果表明，种子可能对干燥表现出一些敏感性，并且在 23°C 下储存时似乎寿命很短（<12 个月）。对于从瘦果保护性外层取出的种子，在 15°C 下孵育 16 周后达到最大发芽率，而保留在保护性外层内的种子则表现出较低的发芽成功率。胚的成熟后形态变化、对赤霉酸的有限反应以及发芽所需的长时间表明种子表现出形态生理休眠，其中一部分种子在传播后保持休眠一段时间。