# Variations in Seed and Fruit Traits of the Rare and Endangered Chinese Plant Lilium tsingtauense Along Environmental Gradients

## TL;DR

This study explores how environmental factors affect seed and fruit traits of the rare Chinese plant Lilium tsingtauense across different habitats.

## Contribution

The study is the first to examine how environmental changes influence seed traits of Lilium tsingtauense in different habitats.

## Key findings

- Fruiting ability responds more readily to environmental changes than fruit and seed traits.
- Elevation is a key environmental factor driving variations in fruit and seed traits of L. tsingtauense.
- Higher elevations correlate with greater fruit production and higher seed germination rates.

## Abstract

Lilium tsingtauense Gilg is a rare and endangered wild plant, but there is insufficient research on the environmental drivers of intraspecific variation in its seed and fruit traits. To investigate the responses of variations in seed and fruit traits to geographical and soil factors across different habitats, 37 sample plots were selected for investigation and statistics within an elevation range of 200–1000 m in Laoshan, China. Mature fruit and soil samples were brought back to measure soil nutrient content, fruit size, seed number and seed germination rate. The results showed that: (a) There are differences in geographical and soil factors among the habitats of different L. tsingtauense populations. There were significant differences in elevation, aspect, light intensity, soil water content, soil electrical conductivity, soil organic matter content and soil total nitrogen content among different populations. (b) Fruiting ability responds more readily to environmental changes than fruit and seed traits do. Fruit length, width and thousand‐grain weight were more stable than number of plump seeds per fruit and germination percentage. (c) Significant positive correlations were observed between longitude, elevation, light intensity, soil water content, soil electrical conductivity and fruit and seed traits, while soil total phosphorus content showed a significant negative correlation with fruit and seed traits. Among these, elevation was identified as a potential key environmental factor driving variations in fruit and seed traits of L. tsingtauense. Individuals growing at higher elevations exhibited greater fruit production and higher seed germination rates. These findings reveal the environmental variability in fruit and seed traits of L. tsingtauense and its influencing factors, providing important insights for identifying core conservation areas and guiding habitat restoration for this wild resource.

This study is the first study on the response of seed traits to environmental changes in different habitats of L. tsingtauense. Different from previous studies focusing on individual growth and biomass accumulation, this study emphasizes the limiting effect of external environmental conditions, namely different geographical factors and soil environment, on the breeding of L. tsingtauense by analyzing seed traits.