Effects of seed weight and microsite characteristics on germination and seedling fitness in two species of Quercus in a subtropical wet hill forest

There is large variation in seed weight within the two species of Quercus (Q. dealbata L. and Q. griffithii Hk. f. & Th.) selected for the present study. Effects on germination and survival of oak seedlings were studied in relation to variation in seed weight and microsite characteristics. Germination showed a strong correlation with seed weight. Heavy seeds germinated earlier and showed better germination than light seeds and seedlings produced from the former survived and grew better. The differences in growth of the seedlings emerged from the seeds having different weights persisted in the second year also. Emergence, survival and growth of the seedlings were highest in the plots devoid of litter and herbaceous cover and lowest in the control plots which were not cleared. Seedling emergence, survival and growth were more adversely affected by herbaceous cover than litter.