Response of soil seed bank to a prescribed burning in a subtropical pine–oak forest

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Zuloaga-Aguilar ◽  
Alma Orozco-Segovia ◽  
Oscar Briones ◽  
Enrique Jardel Pelaez
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Understorey Vegetation ◽  
Physiological Dormancy

Prescribed burning is a management instrument applied to reduce the risk of fire and favour revegetation. Our objective was to generate information about the dynamics of post-fire regeneration via the soil seed bank (SSB), for fire management in subtropical forests. Samples taken at soil depths of 0–3cm, 3–6 cm and 6–10 cm before and 5 h after a prescribed burn showed that the fire immediately increased the number of germinable seeds and species in a Mexican pine–oak forest. Most of the germinable seeds were from species in genera with small seeds exhibiting physical or physiological dormancy, and that are tolerant or require fire for germination. Fire increased the number of germinable seeds during the wet season and the number of species was greater in the area control at 0–6-cm soil depth after 1 year; so that the fire modified the SSB seasonal pattern. Species diversity was not altered and was dominated by perennial herbaceous and shrub species both before and 2 years after the fire. Although fire completely eliminated the aboveground biomass of the understorey vegetation, the SSB can promote regeneration and persistence of understorey vegetation following a prescribed surface fire of low severity for the ecosystem studied.

Soil seed bank and vegetation dynamics in Sahelian fallows; the impact of past cropping and current grazing treatments

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 683-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Hérault ◽  
Pierre Hiernaux
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Residual Effects ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizer ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Seed Extraction ◽  
The Impact

The soil seed bank in a 5-y-old Sahelian fallow was studied through seed extraction and compared with germinations recorded either in controlled conditions, ex situ in a glasshouse, or in the field. The influence of phosphorus fertilizer and mulch application during the preceding crop period, and that of seasonal grazing regimes applied the last 2 y of fallowing, were assessed on the composition of the seed stock. Ctenium elegans, Fimbristylis hispidula, Merremia pinnata and Phyllanthus pentandrus accounted together for 75% of extracted seeds, 72% of ex situ, and 62% of in situ seedlings. Mulch treatment was correlated with the first axis of the canonical correspondence analyses performed on the seedling datasets. Mulch and phosphorus fertilizer treatments held similar responses, as they both favoured the seed bank of erect dicotyledons such as P. pentandrus and Cassia mimosoides. On the whole, the effects of grazing remained modest compared with the residual effects of past crop management practices. However, seedling densities increased as a result of dry-season grazing, while the soil seed bank decreased with wet-season grazing. Grazing also reduced the spatial heterogeneity of the seed bank rather than the overall number of species.

Penetration of weeds into the herbaceous understorey and soil seed bank of a Turkey oak-sessile oak forest in Hungary

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Koncz ◽  
P. Török ◽  
M. Papp ◽  
G. Matus ◽  
B. Tóthmérész
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Sessile Oak ◽  
Turkey Oak

Prescribed-fire effects on fine-root and tree mortality in old-growth ponderosa pine

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Michael Swezy ◽  
James K. Agee
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Root Dry Weight

Old-growth Pinusponderosa Dougl. stands were surveyed at Crater Lake National Park to investigate potential accelerated mortality of large pines due to prescribed burning. Mortality of P. ponderosa greater than 22 cm diameter at breast height was higher in burned areas (19.5%) than in unburned areas (6.6%), and early-season burns had over 30% mortality. Mortality was associated with fire severity, as measured by scorch height and ground char, season of burning, and tree vigor. Pines of high, moderate, and low vigor were subjected to a prescribed burn in June; half of the trees had debris raked from tree bases as an additional treatment. Lethal heat loads (>60 °C) occurred in >75% of samples at the soil surface and at 5 cm soil depth, with duration exceeding 5 h. Burning reduced fine-root dry weight 50–75% 1 and 5 months after burning; raking and burning reduced fine-root dry weight more than burning alone after 1 month and had similar effects to burning after 5 months. A low-vigor tree that had been raked and burned died by the beginning of the fourth dry season after burning. Present fuel loads may be too high to burn during spring if old-growth P. ponderosa are to be protected.

Variation of seed dormancy and longevity in Raphanus raphanistrum L.

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann Tricault ◽  
Annick Matejicek ◽  
Henri Darmency
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
The Other ◽  
Integrated Weed Management ◽  
Raphanus Raphanistrum ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
Fruit Wall

AbstractRaphanus raphanistrum (wild radish) is a highly competitive weed in winter crops. Integrated weed management practices and decision-making tools benefit from the ability to predict seed longevity and dormancy status in the soil seed bank, as well as time and density of emergence in the field. We wondered if unique values taken from databases could serve for modelling purposes, whatever the origins of the weed populations. We investigated dormancy and longevity of fruits buried in the soil over a four-year seed burial experiment of two highly contrasted populations that differ by their biogeographical origin (oceanic versus continental climate), their habitat (arable field versus undisturbed) and their fruit size (thick versus thin fruit wall). High viability persisted over two years, followed by a rapid reduction, especially for the ‘continental-undisturbed-thin’ population. Dormancy cycling, with dormancy at its lowest in October, was observed for the ‘oceanic-arable-thick’ population, whilst a slow decrease without clear seasonal pattern was found for the other population. These results indicate different ways of regulating seed persistence in the soil, which might be taken into account when building demographic models. These differences could be due to interactions between fruit wall thickness and the other factors; it is possible that a thicker fruit wall increases longevity by promoting dormancy by physical restriction, but depending on temperature. Thinner fruit walls would make plants display other adaptive strategies to maximize survival time in the soil seed bank. Studies involving more populations and isogenic material are needed to address this specific question.

scholarly journals The seed bank of a gallery forest in Southeastern Brazil

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 793-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Tereza Grombone-Guaratini ◽  
Hermógenes de Freitas Leitão Filho ◽  
Paulo Yoshio Kageyama
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Gallery Forest ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Important Variation ◽  
Number Of Seeds

The soil seed bank was studied in a gallery forest in Southeastern Brazil. Samples were collected from edge to edge along transects perpendicular to the river during the wet (December, 1990) and dry (August, 1991) seasons. The number of seeds found in the seed bank samples was greater in the dry season than in the wet season indicating that there was important variation in the seed stocks in these two periods. The similarity values between the seed bank and the community composition were low. The high density of weed species might be reflecting forest fragmentation and indicating a degree of perturbation.

scholarly journals Seed bank and growth comparisons of native (Virgilia divaricata) and invasive alien (Acacia mearnsii and A. melanoxylon) plants: implications for conservation

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan A. Goets ◽  
Tineke Kraaij ◽  
Keith M. Little
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Acacia Mearnsii ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Sapling Growth ◽  
Study Species

Background Invasive alien plants with long-lived dormant seed banks and fast growth rates are difficult to manage. Acacia mearnsii and Acacia melanoxylon are two such invaders in the southern Cape of South Africa which occasionally co-occur with a native, ecologically analogous species, Virgilia divaricata. We compared the performance of these three species to determine potential for the native species to be used in management of the invasives. Methods We compared the study species in terms of (i) soil seed bank densities, their vertical distribution, and the viability of seeds underneath the canopies of mature trees; (ii) seedling growth from planted seeds over a period of three months; and (iii) growth rates of saplings over a period of 10 months in stands that have naturally regenerated in the field (these stands were dominated by A. mearnsii) and where saplings have been exposed to varying levels of competition from surrounding saplings. Results Seed bank densities differed significantly among species but not among soil depth classes. Acacia mearnsii had the highest seed bank densities (mean of 7,596 seeds m−2), followed by V. divaricata (938 seeds m−2) and A. melanoxylon (274 seeds m−2). Seed viability was high (87–91%) in all three study species and did not differ significantly among species or soil depth classes. As seedlings, V. divaricata significantly outgrew A. mearnsii in terms of height, root and shoot dry mass, and root:shoot ratio. Relative growth (the relationship between growth in height and initial height) was negative in the seedlings of both species. Trends during the sapling stage were opposite to those during the seedling stage; A. mearnsii (but not A. melanoxylon) saplings significantly outgrew V. divaricata saplings in height, while relative growth rates were positive in all species. Sapling growth of all species was furthermore uninfluenced by the collective biomass of surrounding competitors. Discussion Our findings suggest that amongst the measures considered, A. mearnsii’s success as an invader is primarily attributable to its large seed banks, and secondly to its vigorous growth in height as saplings. However, the superior growth performance of V. divaricata seedlings and no apparent negative effect of competition from the acacias on sapling growth show promise for its use in integrated management of the acacias.

scholarly journals Psychotria hoffmansegiana (Willd ex Roem. & Schult.) Mull. Arg. and Palicourea marcagravii st. Hil. (Rubiaceae): potential for forming soil seed banks in a brazilian Cerrado

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
CG. Araújo ◽  
VJM. Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Paulo State ◽  
Soil Storage ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
Persistent Soil Seed Bank

The germinability of artificially buried Psychotria hoffmansegiana and Palicourea marcagravii seeds in Cerrado soil was tested, with the aim of evaluating whether dispersed seeds may be able to form a soil seed bank. The assays were carried out at a Cerrado Reserve in São Paulo State, Brazil. Seed samples were placed in nylon bags and buried at two different depths and in two different sites. Samples were periodically exhumed and germination tests were performed with both exhumed and dry stored seeds. In general, soil storage favoured seed survival and germination when compared to dry stored seeds. The seed germination was little affected by soil depth and by burial environment. Seeds of both species remained viable for at least 13 months, considering the time lapse between the collection and the end of the germination tests. It was suggested that both species can potentially form a persistent soil seed bank in Cerrado.

Impact of forest fire on soil seed bank composition in Himalayan Chir pine forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-184
Author(s):  
Bobbymoore Konsam ◽  
Shyam S Phartyal ◽  
Nagendra P Todaria
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Postfire Regeneration ◽  
Standing Vegetation ◽  
Chir Pine

Abstract Aims To explain how plant community copes with a recurring anthropogenic forest fire in Himalayan Chir pine forest, it is important to understand their postfire regeneration strategies. The primary aim of the study was to know: (i) how fire impact soil seed bank composition and (ii) how much soil seed bank composition differs with standing vegetation after the forest fire. Methods Soil samples were collected from burned and adjoining unburned sites in blocks using three layers down to 9 cm depth immediately after a forest fire and incubated in the net-house for seedling emergence. Same sites were revisited during late monsoon/early autumn season to know the species composition of standing vegetation recovered after a forest fire. Important Findings Soil contained viable seeds of >70 species. The average seed bank density was 8417 and 14 217 seeds/m2 in the burned and unburned site, respectively. In both sites, it decreased with increasing soil depth. Overall fire had no significant impact on seed density; however, taking individual layers into consideration, fire had a significant impact on seed density only in the uppermost soil layer. The species richness of soil seed bank and standing vegetation was 73 and 100, respectively (with 35 shared species), resulting in a similarity of about 40%. In contrast, >80% species in soil seed bank was found similar between burned and unburned sites. Further, there were no significant differences in species richness of standing vegetation in burned (87 spp.) and unburned (78 spp.) sites. Our results showed that fire had an insignificant impact on soil seed bank composition and restoration potential of a plant species from seeds. The understory herb and shrub plant community’s ability to form a fire-resistant viable soil seed bank and capable to recover in the postfire rainy season, explains how they reduce the risk of recurring fire damage in maintaining their population.

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