Studying the germination niches of a diverse array of species at the community level can offer insight into the parameters that govern the structure of these communities. To date, however, few studies have sought to identify determinants of species germination window. As such, we estimated germination niche breadth (GNB) for 476 angiosperm species found in the eastern Tibetan Plateau grasslands under three light treatment conditions (natural, medium, and low light) in the field. In addition, the changes in GNB (CGNB) across these treatment conditions were measured for all analyzed species, and the relationships between life-history traits (seed mass, plant height, adult longevity, onset of flowering, and duration of flowering), environment [maternal habitats (elevation, light, and water habitat), light environment during germination], evolutionary history and GNB/CGNB were further assessed. These analyses revealed that GNB and CGNB were both highly phylogenetically conserved. We found that low light levels during germination were associated with a significant reduction in GNB, whereas larger seeds typically exhibited greater GNB under all three light treatment conditions. High-elevation species and annual species typically exhibited narrow germination niches only under low light conditions. CGNB was negatively related to plant height and was positively associated with elevation. Together, our data suggest that life-history traits, environmental factors, and evolutionary history all can shape the GNB.

在社区一级研究各种物种的萌发ni，可以深入了解控制这些社区结构的参数。然而，迄今为止，很少有研究试图确定物种萌发窗口的决定因素。因此，我们估计了在田间三种光照条件（自然，中等和低光照）下在青藏高原东部草原发现的476个被子植物的萌发位宽度。此外，针对所有分析的物种，测量了这些处理条件下GNB（CGNB）的变化，以及生活史特征（种子质量，株高，成年寿命，开花开始和开花持续时间），环境之间的关系。 [孕产地（海拔，光照和水的栖息地），发芽期间的光照环境]，进一步评估了进化史和GNB / CGNB。这些分析表明，GNB和CGNB都是高度系统保守的。我们发现发芽期间的低光照水平与GNB的显着降低有关，而较大的种子通常在所有三种光照条件下均表现出更大的GNB。高海拔物种和一年生物种通常仅在弱光条件下才会表现出狭窄的萌发生态位。CGNB与株高负相关，与海拔高度正相关。总之，我们的数据表明生活史特征，环境因素和进化史都可以塑造GNB。我们发现发芽期间的低光照水平与GNB的显着降低有关，而较大的种子通常在所有三种光照条件下均表现出更大的GNB。高海拔物种和一年生物种通常仅在弱光条件下才会表现出狭窄的萌发生态位。CGNB与株高负相关，与海拔高度正相关。总之，我们的数据表明生活史特征，环境因素和进化史都可以塑造GNB。我们发现发芽期间的低光照水平与GNB的显着降低有关，而较大的种子通常在所有三种光照条件下均表现出更大的GNB。高海拔物种和一年生物种通常仅在弱光条件下才会表现出狭窄的萌发生态位。CGNB与株高负相关，与海拔高度正相关。总之，我们的数据表明生活史特征，环境因素和进化史都可以塑造GNB。CGNB与株高负相关，与海拔高度正相关。总之，我们的数据表明生活史特征，环境因素和进化史都可以塑造GNB。CGNB与株高负相关，与海拔高度正相关。总之，我们的数据表明生活史特征，环境因素和进化史都可以塑造GNB。