Back to Contents

FREE FULL TEXT PDF

RELATIONSHIP OF SEED BANK TO PLANT DISTRIBUTION IN SALINE ARID COMMUNITIES

M. AJMAL KHAN

Abstract: Species of seed bank and those occurring in vegetation were compared for six desert halophytic shrub communities. Perennial shrubs like Suaeda fruticosa, Haloxylon recurvum, Cressa cretica and Salsola baryosma dominated the six communities studied. Communities also showed very low species diversity. The seed bank was represented by a large number of species as compared to the species present in the vegetation, indicating a poor relationship between seed bank and vegetation. S. fruticosa maintains a persistent seed bank thereby dominating the seed bank flora of almost all communities irrespective of the dominant species. All other perennial halophytic species studied showed a transient nature of the seed bank. Monthly seed bank data was collected for 2 halophytic species for 12 months. Presence of H. recurvum, S. fruticosa and C. cretica was higher in the seed bank after seed dispersal and except for S. fruticosa seeds, the number of all other species declined substantially in the soil.

Depanment of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270. Pakistan.