Bud demography of Quercus liaotungensis:the fates of buds
辽东栎芽库统计:芽的命运

In Dongling Mountain region,the fates of the buds of Quercus liaotungensis were investigated using randomized branch sampling method,and their relationship to shoot length,the number of leaves and the number of fruits were statistically analyzed.The results are as follows:(1) the buds of Q.liaotungensis might remain dormant,or abscise after death,or differentiate to be vegetative shoots and generative shoots;(2)the fates of buds varied with habitats,i.e.,the proportion of the buds producing generative shoots of the saplings growing in canopy gap was significantly higher than that of the saplings growing in closed canopy,and approximated to that of the mature trees in the closed canopy;(3)the fates of buds were affected by other factors,e.g., the buds on upper shoots and on long shoots with more leaves had larger probability to produce generative shoots than the counterparts.It was also found that the shoots bearing no fruits were shorter than the shoots bearing fruits,on which the number of leaves was bigger.