Abstract
IN a communication in NATURE of May 31, p. 817, Prof. E. J. Salisbury describes some exact quantitative observations on the mortality which takes place in the seedling condition of flowering plants, and he points out the bearing of these facts upon natural selection. The sycamore furnishes another good instance of this high infant mortality, since almost every year the tree produces an abundance of viable seeds. The winged indehiscent fruits provide a very efficient means for seed-dispersal, and seedlings bearing the first pair or two of young foliage leaves are plentiful in almost every situation throughout the summer. It is well known from experience that only a very small fraction of these seedlings will ultimately survive, or even pass beyond the two-leaved stage, and grow into trees.
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BARTLETT, A. Mortality amongst Plants and its Bearing on Natural Selection. Nature 126, 205 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/126205b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/126205b0
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