Species with larger seeds exhibit more stable interannual population dynamics in a species-rich alpine meadow

We recorded the plant cover of 60 species by flower density in a species-rich alpine meadow across four years. The inverse of Pielou’s evenness index was calculated to display the interannual population dynamics. Seeds from those species were weighed and germinated in a series of conditions by simulating seasonal environmental changes of the meadow. We used phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models to detect the correlation between seed mass, the variation amplitude of final germination proportion, and the population dynamics among the community plants.