ArticleBMC plant biology2026
Timing of cotyledon post-emergence damage drives physiological compensation and resource allocation in oak seedling establishment.
Article in BMC plant biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Contrasting Osmotic Stress Responses and Provenance Effects on Seed Germination and Seedling Performance in Two Andean Species.Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Correction: Timing of cotyledon post-emergence damage drives physiological compensation and resource allocation in oak seedling establishment.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCotyledons serve dual roles as nutrient reserves and physical protectors during early seedling establishment. However, they are vulnerable to diverse granivorous and environmental stressors. Previous studies have predominantly focused on cotyledon loss magnitude, leaving a significant knowledge gap regarding how post-emergence timing of damage interacts with environmental factors such as nutrient availability to influence seedling establishment.
methodsWe conducted a controlled factorial experiment manipulating three cotyledon removal timings (1, 2, and 4 weeks post-emergence) and two nutrient supplementation levels (i.e., high and low nutrient level) treatment with a widely distributed oak species, Quercus dentata. Morphological (height, basal diameter, and biomass allocation, etc.) and physiological traits (photosynthetic rate, leaf nutrients, etc.) were measured after treatment for five months.
resultsCotyledon removal induced severe and irreversible reductions in seedling height, basal stem diameter, and root biomass, showing that the first week after emergence is a critical vulnerability window. Nutrient supplementation exhibited time-dependent effectiveness. The compensatory effect became progressively weaker with increasingly earlier removal of cotyledons. High nutrient conditions significantly enhanced photosynthetic rates and leaf nutrient content across all timing removal treatments. Structural equation modeling revealed that nutrient influenced biomass primarily through indirect pathways, mediated by physiological traits rather than direct effects. Our model explained 90–94% of organ biomass variation.
conclusionOur findings demonstrate that cotyledon damage timing determines the success of Q. dentata seedling establishment. The identification of ontogenetic windows for vulnerability and compensatory capacity challenges the traditional view of cotyledons as static nutrient pools. If cotyledon removal is anticipated in Q. dentata restoration practices, implementing protective measures during the first post-emergence week and timing nutrient interventions to coincide with periods of maximum compensatory capacity could significantly enhance seedling establishment.
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