Early seedling development in relation to seed mass and morph in Cakile edentula

Cakile edentula produces dimorphic seeds from the upper and lower fruit segments. The upper seeds are well adapted to long-distance dispersal and have greater mean seed mass and surface area than those from the lower seeds. Great mean mass of the upper seeds is probably adaptive because it ensured early independent growth of seedlings and thus enhanced their chances of surviving environmental stresses. Large seed reserves also resulted in high chlorophyll content of the cotyledons. Large seed surface area resulted in large cotyledon area and cotyledon area to biomass ratio of the subsequent seedlings, but the adaptive advantage is not clear. Since increased seed surface area necessitates great protective tissues (fruit coat) that may improve the buoyant ability of seeds, large seed surface area of the upper seeds may be a result of selection for dispersal. Key words: seed mass, seed dimorphism, establishment, sand dune, selection, Cakile edentula.