scholarly journals The composition, richness, and evenness of seedlings from the soil seed bank of a semi-arid steppe in northern China are affected by long-term stocking rates of sheep and rainfall variation

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hu ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
X. J. Chen ◽  
J. P. Millner ◽  
S. H. Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Rainfall Variation ◽  
Arid Steppe ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Semi Arid

The soil seed bank has a large influence on the potential for grassland restoration. This study aimed to characterise the composition, density, richness, and evenness of seedlings emerging from the soil seed bank under different sheep stocking rates, in a summer grazing system, in semi-arid China. Soil was sampled in 2015, a year with extreme drought conditions and in 2016, a normal rainfall year. The soil seed bank was assessed by measuring seedling emergence under laboratory conditions. Comprising 16 species, 85.4% of the seedlings were concentrated within a depth of 0–5cm. Drought significantly reduced the density and richness of the seedlings. Grazing increased the richness of seedlings by increasing the richness of aboveground species, and grazing significantly reduced the evenness of the seedlings by reducing the evenness of aboveground species. Drought significantly reduced the similarities between the seedlings and the aboveground species, whereas grazing increased similarities in both years. This study revealed that the density and richness of seedlings were higher in higher stocking rate in drought year. We conclude that negative effects on density, richness and evenness of the seedlings caused by drought can be overcome by rotational grazing especially at higher stocking rate.

scholarly journals Rainfall events, high CO2 concentration and germination seeds of Caatinga

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrício Francisco Santos Silva ◽  
Gilmara Moreira Oliveira ◽  
Marcelo Nascimento Araújo ◽  
Francislene Angelotti ◽  
Magna Soelma Beserra Moura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
High Co2 ◽  
High Co2 Concentration ◽  
Semi Arid

In semi-arid environments, the distribution of rainfall over time is decisive in emergence in a soil seed bank. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of rainfall events on the soil seed bank emergence of Caatinga species under high CO2 concentration. The experiment was carried out in an experimental area of Embrapa Semi-arid in a randomized complete block design, with subdivided plots. Each plot consisted of different environmental conditions (open top greenhouse with injection of 550 ppm CO2; open top greenhouse and environmental CO2; natural environment). The subplots consisted of the depth at which the seeds of Poincianella pyramidalis and Myracrodruon urundeuva were sown (superficially and buried at 0.02 m and 0.06 m depth). Seedling emergence was monitored daily after the first rains. During the experiment, weather data showed a rainfall volume of 83 mm, an average air temperature of 28.7 oC, average soil temperature of 35.4 e 34.9 oC, at depths of 0.02 and 0.06 m, respectively. Seedling emergence started 56 days after sowing and 4 days after the first rains. After 154 days of the start of the experiment, drip irrigation was performed. The greenhouse environment, regardless of the addition of CO2 or not, allowed higher emergence percentage of P. pyramidalis. The seeds of this species sowed on the soil surface only emerged when irrigation started. M. urundeuva seeds showed low germination even after irrigation.

scholarly journals Responses of Soil Seed Bank and Vegetation to the Increasing Intensity of Human Disturbance in a Semi-Arid Region of Northern China

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cui Li ◽  
Bo Xiao ◽  
Qinghai Wang ◽  
Ruilun Zheng ◽  
Juying Wu
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Arid Region ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Semi Arid Region ◽  
Semi Arid

Effects of heat and smoke on germination of soil-stored seed in a south-eastern Australian sand heathland

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Wills ◽  
Jennifer Read
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Type Systems ◽  
Treated Soil ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Heat Treated ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
And Control

Various fire-related agents, including heat, smoke, ash and charred wood, have been shown to break dormancy and promote germination of soil-stored seed in a broad range of species in mediterranean-type systems. However, relatively little work has been conducted in south-eastern Australian heathlands. This study examined the effects of heat and smoked water on germination of the soil seed bank in a mature sand heathland within the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, in south-eastern Australia. Heat was clearly the most successful treatment for promoting seed germination, followed by smoked water, then controls, with 55% of species present in the germinable soil seed bank requiring a heat or smoke stimulus to promote seed germination. Mean species richness of the germinable soil seed bank was found to be significantly higher in heat-treated soil than in smoke and control treatments. Seedling density of heat-treated soil was almost 10 times that of controls, while smoke-treated soil was almost five times that of controls. Seedling emergence was fastest in heat-treated soil, followed by smoke and control soils. Of the species found in the soil seed bank, 25% were absent from the extant vegetation, suggesting the existence of post-fire colonisers in the soil seed bank. The results have implications for the design of soil seed bank experiments and the use of fire as a tool in vegetation management.

The effects of recreation disturbance on subalpine seed banks in the Rocky Mountains of Montana

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 577-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Zabinski ◽  
Todd Wojtowicz ◽  
David Cole
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Soil Cores ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Recreation Impacts ◽  
Natural Revegetation ◽  
Site Types

We investigated the soil seed bank in a subalpine ecosystem with patchy disturbance from camping. Soil cores were collected from three site types, heavily impacted, lightly impacted, and undisturbed, that differed in area of bare ground and depth of surface organic matter. We hypothesized that the density and composition of the seed bank would vary with depth of surface organic matter and distance from established vegetation. Seedling emergence was determined in the greenhouse. Seed density was significantly lower on disturbed sites, averaging 441 seeds/m2 on heavily impacted sites, 1495 seeds/m2 on lightly impacted sites, and 4188 seeds/m2 on undisturbed sites. Seed density declined exponentially with distance from established vegetation and increased with depth of surface organic matter. The number of species present did not vary across site types, but 10 species that occurred on lightly impacted and undisturbed sites were not present on heavily impacted sites. We concluded that disturbance that causes removal of surface organic matter can affect natural revegetation by lowering the density of propagules and affecting the species represented in the seed bank.Key words: seed bank, subalpine, patchy disturbance, recreation impacts.

scholarly journals ESTUDOS DE UM BANCO DE SEMENTES NO SOLO DE UM FRAGMENTO FLORESTAL COM Araucaria angustifolia NO ESTADO DO PARANÁ

FLORESTA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Lima de Souza ◽  
Antônio Carlos Nogueira ◽  
Renato Luiz Grisi Macedo ◽  
Carlos Roberto Sanquetta ◽  
Nelson Venturin
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Araucaria Angustifolia ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Regeneration Strategy ◽  
Soil Layers

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar o banco de sementes no solo de um fragmento florestal com Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Ktze. no estado do Paraná. Para isso, investigou-se a distribuição vertical das sementes, a influência do sombreamento sobre a emergência das plântulas, sua identificação e quantificação. A distribuição vertical de sementes em quatro camadas foi analisada através da identificação e quantificação das plântulas emergentes em casa de vegetação, levando em consideração o nível de sombreamento. Os dados referentes ao banco de sementes foram obtidos no período de 210 dias, por meio de identificação botânica e contagens semanais das plântulas germinadas das quatro profundidades de solo em quatro parcelas experimentais. As amostras foram colocadas para germinar sob 0 e 50% de sombreamento em casa de vegetação. Os resultados obtidos no estudo de banco de sementes permitiram as seguintes conclusões: o banco de sementes parece ser pobre em espécies arbóreas e abundante em espécies herbáceas; o banco de sementes das espécies arbóreas foi maior na segunda camada; ocorreu maior germinação sob 0% de sombreamento. Provavelmente, a estratégia de regeneração da maioria das espécies presentes nessa área de estudo parece não ser pelo banco de sementes no solo.Palavras-chave: Banco de sementes no solo; Araucaria angustifolia; fragmento florestal. AbstractSoil seed bank analysis in a forest fragment with Araucaria angustifolia, State of Parana. A research on soil seed bank had been developed in an Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Ktze. forest fragment in the State of Paraná. It had surveyed vertical distribution of seeds within the soil and shadow influence on seedling emergence, besides the improvement of their identification and quantity measuring. Vertical distribution of seeds in four soil layers had been analyzed by identification and quantification of germinated seedlings in greenhouse, with full light or 50% shaded conditions. Data related to seedlings of trees, weeds, grasses and lianas were calculated separately in weekly intervals during a 210-day period. Results suggested that the soil seed bank in this forest was poor in relation to tree species, in diversity as far as density. On the other hand, seeds of grasses and weeds decreased along vertical soil profile, and forest tree species tended to abundance in the 5-10 cm layer. Germination was higher with full light than in 50% shaded conditions. Probably, regeneration strategy for most species in this focused area doesn’t seem to be soil seed bank.Keywords: Soil seed bank; Araucaria angustifolia; forest fragment.

scholarly journals Seed Rain, Soil Seed Bank, and Seedling Emergence Indicate Limited Potential for Self-Recovery in a Highly Disturbed, Tropical, Mixed Deciduous Forest

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1391
Author(s):  
Anussara Chalermsri ◽  
La-aw Ampornpan ◽  
Witoon Purahong
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Seed Rain ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
Mixed Deciduous Forest ◽  
Standing Vegetation

Human activity negatively affects the sustainability of forest ecosystems globally. Disturbed forests may or may not recover by themselves in a certain period of time. However, it is still unclear as to what parameters can be used to reasonably predict the potential for self-recovery of human-disturbed forests. Here, we combined seed rain, soil seed bank, and seed emergence experiments to evaluate the potential for self-recovery of a highly disturbed, tropical, mixed deciduous forest in northeastern Thailand. Our results show a limited potential for self-recovery of this forest due to low seedling input and storage and an extremely high mortality rate during the drought period. There were 15 tree species of seedlings present during the regeneration period in comparison with a total number of 56 tree species in current standing vegetation. During the dry season, only four tree seedling species survived, and the highest mortality rate reached 83.87%. We also found that the correspondence between the combined number of species and composition of plant communities obtained from seed rain, soil seed bank, and seedling emergence experiments and the standing vegetation was poor. We clearly show the temporal dynamics of the seed rain and seedling communities, which are driven by different plant reproductive phenology and dispersal mechanisms, and drought coupled with mortality. We conclude that this highly disturbed forest needs a management plan and could not recover by itself in a short period of time. We recommend the use of external seed and seedling supplies and the maintenance of soil water content (i.e., shading) during periods of drought in order to help increase seedling abundances and species richness, and to reduce the mortality rate.

Environmental properties and microbial abundance explain soil nitrous oxide flux variation synergistically under the addition of nitrogen and water in temperate semi-arid steppe

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Jiaqi ◽  
Liu Yinghui
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Flux Change ◽  
Environmental Properties ◽  
Arid Steppe ◽  
Semi Arid

<p>  With the increasing of nitrogen(N) deposition and changing of precipitation patterns worldwide, large amounts of N are loaded in terrestrial ecosystem, resulting in soil nutrient imbalance and soil nitrous oxide(N<sub>2</sub>O) flux change. Nitrification and denitrification in soil are two major sources of N<sub>2</sub>O emission mediated by microorganisms. However, It is still unclear how the soil N<sub>2</sub>O flux and the abundance of nitrifiers and denitrifiers might change under the addition of N and water(W) in temperate semi-arid steppe. In this study, we established a one-year-long field experiment investigating how soil N<sub>2</sub>O flux, the abundance of nitrifiers and denitrifiers, and environmental properties, including soil pH, soil moisture, soil dissolved organic carbon content(DOC) and soil available N content responsed when N(NH<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>3</sub> was applied at a rate of 4 g N·m<sup>-2</sup>·yr<sup>-1</sup>, which is equivalent to one time the annual nitrogen deposition) and/or W(water was applied at a rate of 112.5 mm·yr<sup>-1</sup>, which is equivalent to 30% of the annual rainfall) were added to temperate semi-arid steppe in northern China with the natural condition without any treatment as control. Quantitative PCR was used to analyze the abundance of ammonia oxidizers(ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea amoA) and denitrifiers(nirS/nirK and nosZ). Our experimental results demonstrated that soil N<sub>2</sub>O emission decreased when W was added and W and N were added in temperate semi-arid steppe in northern China. The abundance of nirS and nosZ genes increased when W and N were added. Compared with AOA/AOBamoA and nirK genes, the abundance of nirS and nosZ genes is more sensitive to the addition of N and W. Soil N<sub>2</sub>O flux was negatively correlated with the abundance of nirS-denitrifier. The nirS gene abundance, soil pH and DOC were the main controls on soil N<sub>2</sub>O flux and totally explained 78.2% of the variation of soil N<sub>2</sub>O flux. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for N cycle mechanism mediated by microorganisms and have practical significance for the prediction of N<sub>2</sub>O flux change in temperate semi-arid steppe under the background of global change.</p>

The Relationship Between Distance From Water and the Soil Seed Bank in a Grazed Semi-Arid Subtropical Rangeland

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 421 ◽  
Author(s):  
SC Navie ◽  
RA Cowley ◽  
RW Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Standing Vegetation ◽  
Open Woodland ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Germinable Seed ◽  
Eucalyptus Populnea ◽  
Semi Arid

The germinable soil seed bank of a grassy Eucalyptus populnea F.Muell, open woodland was investigated in relationship to distance from water (away from a bore-drain) on North Yancho Station, near Bollon in southern semi-arid Queensland. The germinable soil seed bank was both diverse and abundant, 69 taxa of seedlings being identified to species and 2 more to genus. A mean density of 13 207 ± 4160 seeds m-2 was recorded, with over 80% of the seed being from the annual forbs Crassula sieberana (Schultes & J.H.Shultes) Druce, Wahlenbergia tumidifructa P.J.Smith and Dysphania gomulifera (Nees) Paul G.Wilson. Most common species showed spatial variation in their germinable seed density with relation to distance from water, resembling the patterns previously reported by other authors for standing vegetation under stocking pressure gradients.

scholarly journals Seed bank modelling of volunteer oil seed rape: from seeds fate in the soil to seedling emergence

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Soltani ◽  
A. Soltani ◽  
S. Galeshi ◽  
F. Ghaderi-Far ◽  
E. Zeinali
Keyword(s):  
Oilseed Rape ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Lower Slope

Studies were conducted to estimate parameters and relationships associated with sub-processes in soil seed banks of oilseed rape in Gorgan, Iran. After one month of burial, seed viability decreased to 39%, with a slope of 2.03% per day, and subsequently decreased with a lower slope of 0.01 until 365 days following burial in the soil. Germinability remained at its highest value in autumn and winter and decreased from spring to the last month of summer. Non-dormant seeds of volunteer oilseed rape did not germinate at temperatures lower than 3.8 ºC and a water potential of -1.4 MPa ºd. The hydrothermal values were 36.2 and 42.9 MPa ºd for sub- and supra-optimal temperatures, respectively. Quantification of seed emergence as influenced by burial depth was performed satisfactorily (R² = 0.98 and RMSE = 5.03). The parameters and relationships estimated here can be used for modelling soil seed bank dynamics or establishing a new model for the environment.

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