PJB-2018-743
Investigating the soil seed bank and its relation with the ground level vegetation along an elevational gradient
Zeinab Soleimaninejad
Abstract
Aims: A part of plant composition in natural ecosystems is hidden as living seeds in the soil seed bank. Detecting this species resource has a key role in protecting and restoring the vegetation. Soil seed bank plays a role in vegetation restoration after its destruction. The present research studies the features of soil seed bank (species diversity, density and richness) along the elevational gradient, in a random design. The area under study is called Soldor, one of the suburbs of Ghohroud (Qamsar area, Kashan county, Esfahan Province). Methods: For sampling of soil seed bank, three transects of 200 meter height (two transects parallel to the height and one vertical to the gradient) were established. The soil samples were taken from two depth ranges of 0-5 and 5-10 cm out of 1 cm2 plots which were placed 20 meters far from each other. Then the soil samples were transferred to the greenhouse and planted there. Moreover, the percentage of plant species cover present in each plot was also recorded in the following spring. The features of soil seed bank in different heights were compared through F-test. Results: The results showed that species density, diversity and richness of soil seed bank in different heights were not significantly different. There was a weak similarity between the seed bank and over-ground plant cover. On the other hand, the effect of depth on different features of the soil seed bank under study was not significant. Also, the results of the greenhouse showed that most of the species budded from the soil seed were annual herbaceous species; whereas for standing plant cover, the species were perennial plants. Conclusions: Due to the low similarity between the seed bank and the surface cover, it seems that the species present in the ground cover may have low seed bank seed or little seed production. Therefore, it can be concluded that, in the studied area, seeds of perennial plants do not have a readiness for germination in soil depths or they should remain in soil for a long time and are described as stable seed banks.
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