Variation in Demography of Taraxacum officinale Seeds Harvested from Different Seasons

We investigated the variation in adaptation to growth for four ecotypically-differentiated population of Taraxacum officinale found naturally in temporal environmental heterogeneity. Seeds collected from the four seasons were germinated in incubators and were grown for four months in greenhouse to test genetic variation among biotypes. Biotypes, segregated by seeds collected seasonally, were the part of natural population in Mokpo, South Korea. Each biotype was different in total dry weight of seeds, biomass, and leaf area, confirming previous finding. Differences between biotypes grown under a common environment indicated a genetic basis to their distinct demographic rates. Therefore, biotypes with similar annual rates of growth and contrasting seasonal rates should persist in the population. This differential response suggests that temporal variation in environment may be responsible, in part, for the maintenance of genetic variation within populations.