Abstract: To clarify the effects of soaking with Tibetan sheep rumen fluid on the seed germination characteristics of the plants on the alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the seeds of 11 common plant species in the northeastern part of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau were collected and soaked with the fresh rumen fluid from Tibetan sheep, and a germination test was conducted after the seeds were soaked in the rumen fluid for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h, respectively. The seeds were incubated at 25 ℃ for 8 h and at 15 ℃ for 16 h under natural light conditions. The results showed that the seed germination was affected by soaking time, seed coat treatment, and plant species. As compared with the control, the germination percentages of the scarified seeds of Oxytropis ochrocephala, coatcut seeds of Carex enervis, and coatcut or intact seeds of Anemone rivularis were increased significantly after soaking for 12 h, 12 h, and 12-36 h, respectively. The germination percentages of both the scarified and the intact seeds of Elymus nutans, Pedicularis kansuensis, Achnatherum inebrians, Poa crymophila, and Medicago ruthenia var. inschanica were declined significantly by any exposure to rumen fluid. The seed germination percentages of Kobresia humilis, Rumex acetosa, and Polygonum sibiricum were not affected by short duration treatment, but inhibited with increasing processing time. The germination of scarified seeds was more sensitive to the soaking, as compared to the intact seeds, and the latter was relatively stable. The germination index (GI) of the coatcut seeds of A. rivularis and O. ochrocephala and of the scarified seeds of C. enervis was increased significantly in short duration treatments of 12-24 h, 12 h, and 12 h, respectively, but decreased gradually with the extension of processing time. It was suggested that the seed germination of the plant species on alpine meadow performed differently (enhanced, inhibited, or not affected) under the treatments of soaking with Tibetan sheep rumen fluid, which might affect the seedling recruitment, interspecific competition, and plant community structure on alpine meadow.

Key words: Perinereis aibuhitensis, bioinformatics analysis, heavy metal stress., gene expression, HSP70