The intraspecific variations of phenotypic traits in the early life stages, such as seed germination and seedling establishment, are important components affecting species adaptation and differentiation. As one of the most common ways in which seeds are maintained, dry storage usually affects these traits, by either increasing or decreasing variation among populations. However, little is known about how the interaction between dry storage and population variation of a species affects the performance and adaptability of early life-cycle traits. In this study, we conducted experiments with seeds from ten populations of Elymus nutans along an altitudinal gradient on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Fresh seeds and seeds stored dry for 6 months were used to quantify the temperature thresholds for germination, determine seedling emergence and survival in two common gardens and examine the correlation between these traits and environmental conditions of population provenance. Dry storage increased germination percentage, germination speed and seedling emergence, and decreased intraspecific variation in germination traits of seeds (reduced by 33.36, 52.05 and 20.45% for Tb, θT(50) and σθT, respectively). Dry storage had little effect on the intraspecific variation of seedling emergence and survival. In addition, the temperature threshold for germination cannot be used to predict seedling emergence and survival in either common garden, regardless of whether seeds were stored or not. These results indicated that it is feasible to use dry-stored seeds to evaluate and select suitable provenances in ecological restoration, and using dry-stored seeds in ecological restoration projects is expected to achieve better vegetation restoration results than fresh seeds. On the other hand, the status of seeds (fresh vs. dry stored) should be considered in an evaluation of the adaptive value of plant functional traits, especially in the early life stages, otherwise, inconsistent conclusions may be drawn.

生命早期阶段表型性状的种内变异，例如种子发芽和幼苗建立，是影响物种适应和分化的重要组成部分。作为保存种子的最常见方式之一，干燥储存通常会通过增加或减少种群之间的变异来影响这些性状。然而，人们对物种的干燥储存和种群变异之间的相互作用如何影响早期生命周期性状的表现和适应性知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们对青藏高原东部沿海拔梯度的十个披碱草种群的种子进行了实验。使用新鲜种子和干燥储存 6 个月的种子来量化发芽的温度阈值，确定两个常见花园中幼苗的出苗和存活率，并检查这些性状与种群来源的环境条件之间的相关性。干燥贮藏提高了种子的发芽率、发芽速度和出苗率，降低了种子发芽性状的种内变异（T b、θ T (50)和σ θ T分别降低了 33.36%、52.05% 和 20.45%）。干燥贮藏对出苗和成活的种内变异影响不大。此外，无论是否储存种子，发芽的温度阈值都不能用于预测任一普通花园中幼苗的出苗和存活。这些结果表明，在生态恢复中利用干藏种子来评估和选择合适的种源是可行的，并且在生态恢复项目中使用干藏种子有望取得比新鲜种子更好的植被恢复效果。另一方面，在评估植物功能性状的适应性价值时，应考虑种子的状态（新鲜与干燥储存），特别是在生命早期阶段，否则可能会得出不一致的结论。