Soil seed bank in a subtropical grassland under different grazing intensities

Silva, Graziela Har Minervini; Overbeck, Gerhard Ernst

doi:10.1590/0102-33062019abb0297

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…Previous studies showed that overgrazing can increase SSB density through seed production of a few annuals (Erfanzadeh et al, 2020; Franca et al, 2018). In agreement with our findings, a positive correlation between SSB density and grazing intensity was observed in Silva and Overbeck (2020) study. They demonstrated that when grazing pressure is low, a high cover of perennial grasses and a large SSB of these grasses may be present, whereas annual grasses with their seeds in the soil appear with increasing grazing.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Effect of wild boar disturbances on the soil seed bank in alpine plant communities

2022

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Soil seed bank (SSB) determines essential ecological processes by maintaining species diversity and recovering damaged plant communities, and supports conservation of lost plant species. Nevertheless, the variation of SSBs, their densities, and composition changes when accompanied by wild boar disturbances are scarcely studied in sensitive habitats such as alpine grasslands. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of wild boar rooting on SSB characteristics. Five plant communities were selected and four disturbed patches in each community were recognized in alpine grassland, Albors Mountain Chain, Iran. SSB density, richness, diversity, evenness and similarity with aboveground vegetation were compared between disturbed and adjacent undisturbed patches. In total 80 soil cores in each community, 40 disturbed and 40 undisturbed were collected and transported to the greenhouse. The seedling emergence method was used to identify and quantify seeds from the germinable seed bank. The results showed that, totally, the SSB within disturbed patches was smaller than in undisturbed patches. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) rooting decreased SSB density, richness and diversity in all plant communities. We found that rooting homogenized SSBs in disturbed patches as indicated by the Pielou evenness index. The results suggested a deep alteration of the structure of seed banks by wild boar rooting, which in turn, vegetation recovery did not rely on SSBs after disturbances. In order to reduce wild boar rooting damage, a large reduction in wild boar abundance is suggested.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Effect of wild boar disturbances on the soil seed bank in alpine plant communities

2022

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“…In this sense, we can infer that for our studied areas the speed of the post-disturbance recovery represented a vegetation property inherent to the successional stage in which it is found. The lack of influence of the seed bank in our study reinforces what other studies Overbeck 2020, Silva and have already evaluated for the region regarding this vegetative component quality.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Key factors affecting succession in upper montane forest areas of "Planalto Sul Catarinense" Region, Brazil

et al. 2021

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The understanding of the succession process is a fundamental condition in defining strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of forest ecosystems. Therefore, we aimed at testing which ecological factors affect short-term successional changes in the uppermontane forests of the "Planalto Sul Catarinense" Region, Brazil. We evaluated the influence of propagules source, soil seed bank, edaphic and topographic variables, nucleating elements and natural regeneration floristic-structural composition on demographic rates of tree-shrub regenerating component in three disturbed open vegetation areas at São Joaquim National Park. We inventoried the regenerative component in 2014, 2015 and 2016, within one 20x100 m transect in each area. Afterwards, demographic rates were determined for each period. The influence of explicative variables on demographic rates of the regenerating component was tested through the Generalized Least Square (GLS) model. We found an increment in both individuals and richness over time. When analyzing the influence of the explanatory variables on the speed of the successional process, we observed that only the floristicstructural composition of the natural regeneration was determinant. We conclude that the speed of the represented succession is, to a large extent, a feature related to the phase of the successional trajectory in which the vegetation is found.

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“…Thus, increased seed input to the seed bank by annuals caused the transient seed bank to increase with increased grazing disturbance after the threshold. In addition, overgrazing of the dominant plant species by livestock reduces the competitiveness of dominant populations and allows populations of some non‐dominant species to increase rapidly, consequently increasing their seed density in the soil seed bank (Ma et al, 2010; Silva & Overbeck, 2020). Hence, the transient seed bank showed a decreased and increased with increased grazing disturbance before and after the threshold, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear response of the soil seed bank and its role in plant community regeneration with increased grazing disturbance

Baskin

2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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The soil seed bank represents valuable rebuilding capital that may rescue an ecosystem from state transition once vegetation has crossed an apparent threshold from the desired to degraded state. However, almost no research has explored the response of transient and persistent seed banks and their role in plant community regeneration along a gradient of wetlands from intact to a seriously degraded state due to increased grazing disturbance. Seven grazing disturbance levels from nondisturbed to highly degraded alpine marsh ecosystems were selected on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Akaike information criterion (AIC) was used to select the best‐fit model to predict the response of the plant community, soil seed bank and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index to increased grazing disturbance. Both the plant community and seed bank showed a nonlinear change with increasing grazing disturbance. Species richness and seed density of the transient seed bank first decreased and then increased with increased disturbance, but the persistent seed bank showed a reverse trend, with an obvious threshold. Species composition of the persistent and transient seed banks exhibited little change compared to the plant community as disturbance increased. Similarities between both the persistent and transient seed banks and plant community also showed a nonlinear change with increased disturbance, while the persistent seed bank had a higher similarity with the plant community than the transient seed bank. Synthesis: At high grazing disturbance, persistent seed banks are more important than transient seed banks in plant community regeneration. Alpine wetland ecosystems have intrinsic resilience because the persistent seed bank has a pool of species above the threshold. However, ecosystem resilience declines if the species pool of the persistent seed bank is depleted below the threshold. The restoration potential of the seed bank has limits, and it will gradually be exhausted when species losses due to increased grazing intensity exceed the threshold of state transition.

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Soil seed bank in a subtropical grassland under different grazing intensities

Cited by 15 publications

References 50 publications

Effect of wild boar disturbances on the soil seed bank in alpine plant communities

Effect of wild boar disturbances on the soil seed bank in alpine plant communities

Key factors affecting succession in upper montane forest areas of "Planalto Sul Catarinense" Region, Brazil

Nonlinear response of the soil seed bank and its role in plant community regeneration with increased grazing disturbance

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