Mother-reliant or self-reliant: the germination strategy of seeds in a species-rich alpine meadow is associated with the existence of pericarps.

The distinct responses of germination to flowering time and seed mass observed in seeds with and without a pericarp suggest that germination strategies might be mother-reliant for seeds protected by pericarps but self-reliant for those without such protection. This new finding improves our understanding of seed germination by integrating ecologically mediated maternal conditions and inherent genetic properties.