Poa annua L. (annual bluegrass) is the only non-native flowering plant species that has successfully established a breeding population in the maritime Antarctic and has been shown to maintain a soil seed bank. The characteristic of the spatial structure of the Antarctic population of this species is the formation of distinct dense clumps-tussocks. In the temperate zone the species is only loosely tufted. We focused on the characteristics of seed deposition associated with the tussocks and some aspects of the spatial heterogeneity of the soil seed bank of P. annua in the Antarctic. We wanted to assess the microspatial structure of the soil seed bank of annual bluegrass at Arctowski Station. Therefore we compared the number of seeds deposited underneath and in the vicinity of P. annua clumps. Our results indicate that P. annua in the Antarctic maintains a soil seed bank comparable to species typical for the polar tundra. The microspatial structure of P. annua soil seed bank in the Antarctic is highly associated with the presence of tussocks. Seeds are deposited underneath the tussock rather than in the vicinity of the clump. Our results also indicate that seeds are able to survive the Antarctic winter and readily germinate under optimal conditions.
Question To what extent does winter supplementary feeding influence vegetation and soil seed banks in forest ecosystems? Location Białowieża Primaeval Forest, NE Poland. Methods Several dozen feeding stations, each composed of one to several haystacks, are used in Białowieża Forest for supplementary winter feeding of European bison (Bison bonasus). We checked the species composition and availability of seeds in hay in 15 haystacks of the eight oldest feeding stations, which could be a potential source of seeds. Vegetation and soil seed bank were sampled on the overlapping 10 m × 10 m plots distributed along 500‐m long transects running south and north of the studied feeding stations. Seed content in the soil samples was studied by the seedling emergence method in an unheated greenhouse. Results We revealed high dissimilarity of species composition of the hayseed, soil seed bank and standing vegetation. The dissimilarity between soil seed banks and standing vegetation increased with the distance from the haystack. The species richness of the standing vegetation was not affected by distance to the haystack, while seed bank species richness showed a significant negative correlation with distance. The mean weighted ecological indicator values of pH, light and soil fertility were negatively correlated with the distance from the haystack for the seed bank and the standing vegetation. The percentage of damaged bushes and juvenile trees was positively correlated with their density and decreased with the distance from the haystack. Conclusions We revealed distinct but local (25–50 m off the haystack) effect of supplementary feeding on the vegetation and soil seed banks of forest ecosystems. Taking into account the ecosystem approach to nature conservation, the winter feeding in forest ecosystems should be concentrated in few places to avoid the expansion of non‐native plant species in forest ecosystems. To prevent potential plant invasions, the origin of the hay used as supplementary winter fodder should be carefully selected, with a preference for local origin and making of hay of native plant species in the forest's meadows or in its surroundings.
IntroductionSeminatural meadow communities of the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea class belong to secondary phytocoenoses that formed as a result of human activity. Many centuries of management shaped the grassland communities forming an integral part of the temperate zone of the
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