Effects of foliage-shading and seed burial-depth on seed germination
Microclimate in simulated natural habitats
Cue period microclimate variables were constrained by the factors room and exposure in the minimum adequate RDA, and notably not by seed burial-depth or species (r2=0.88, Fig. 2). Exposure had the greatest influence on the microclimate RDA (df=1, F=262.15, p<0.001), room had more variance (df=3, F=144. P<0.001). Unsurprisingly, compartments with higher thermostat temperature thresholds (Table 3) were clustered with higher mean and minimum temperatures. These clusters did not include variables relating to extremes i.e., maximum temperatures, temperature ranges and soil surface values (for temperature and light). These were clustered separately and correspond to exposed microclimates. Shaded microclimates varied less than exposed, hence the different shapes of ellipses in Fig. 2.