Soil seed bank of an upland calcareous grassland after 6 years of climate and mangement manipulations

Akinola, M. O.; Thompson, Ken; Buckland, Sarah M.

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2664.1998.3540544.x

Cited by 69 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…36 Therefore, seed banks are considered key determinants of ecosystem resistance and resilience, 27,40 based on the results of short-term climate manipulation experiments. 17 Nevertheless, we have now demonstrated that seeds in calcareous grassland soils are not resistant to long-term summer drought.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…16 Moreover, most studies have been limited to short-term effects. 17,18 For example, a seed burial study conducted on calcareous grasslands found no evidence of any direct effect on seeds after 2 years of additional summer rainfall and winter warming. 18 In addition, another 6-year study did not find significant evidence for any direct effect of summer drought on seed banks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…18 In addition, another 6-year study did not find significant evidence for any direct effect of summer drought on seed banks. 17 However, so far, the effects of long-term altered precipitation regimes on grassland seed banks have not been quantified. Because the consequences of drought may be detected only after several decades, 19 there is a possibility that only after prolonged changes in precipitation will there be noticeable effects on the seed bank.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because the consequences of drought may be detected only after several decades, 19 there is a possibility that only after prolonged changes in precipitation will there be noticeable effects on the seed bank. 17 More attention has been paid to the indirect effects of changes in precipitation patterns on grassland seed banks. First, germination in response to soil moisture is species-specific, [20][21][22] with moisture affecting both the percentage and speed of germination 20 or having a weak effect buffered by soil type.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 Another study has shown that the Arabidopsis thaliana seed bank increased after 6 years of summer drought, possibly as a consequence of the creation of vegetation gaps which facilitated the expansion of this species by increasing plant survival and seed production. 17 Nevertheless, so far it has not been tested if the effects of long-term altered precipitation regimes on aboveground flora are reflected in the seed bank or if seed bank responses are largely independent. Understanding the indirect effects of altered precipitation regimes on seed banks, via the above-ground vegetation, is challenging as vegetation responses are modified by other environmental factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Severe effects of long-term drought on calcareous grassland seed banks

et al. 2018

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Climate change models project shifts in precipitation patterns at regional and global scales. Increases in dry areas and the occurrence of drought predicted in future scenarios are likely to threaten grassland ecosystems. Calcareous grassland seed banks have proven to be resistant to short-term drought, but their responses to long-term drought are unknown. Here we show that 14 years of summer drought changed calcareous grassland seed bank composition, reducing its size and richness, and that these responses do not simply reflect patterns in the above-ground vegetation. Moreover, the effect of drought was larger on seed banks than on vegetation, and above-ground responses mediated by soil depth were less evident in the seed bank than in the vegetation. These results demonstrate that the severity of drought effects on calcareous grasslands is larger than previously thought, and show that this ecosystem is highly vulnerable and has low resilience to predicted decreases in soil moisture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Severe effects of long-term drought on calcareous grassland seed banks

et al. 2018

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Seed bank bias: Differential tracking of functional traits in the seed bank and vegetation across a gradient

Larson

Suding

2022

Ecology

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A goal in trait‐based ecology is to understand and predict plant community responses to environmental change; however, diversity stored within seed banks that may expand or limit these responses is typically overlooked. If seed banks store attributes that are more advantageous or vulnerable under future conditions, they could impact community adaptability to change and disturbance. We explored compositional differences between seed banks and vegetation (i.e., seed bank bias) across a 12‐site gradient of increasingly higher and older soil terraces, asking: How do seed banks contribute to taxonomic and functional composition, and what do shifts in seed bank biases along the gradient (i.e., tracking) reveal about the processes driving seed bank variation and its implications for community adaptability? Across the gradient, seed banks stored distinct pools of species that added to species richness but not functional dispersion. Seed banks were generally biased toward short‐life histories and “fast” species with small seeds, thinner and more acquisitive roots, and lower root biomass allocation; however, trait means in the seed bank and vegetation sometimes shifted along the gradient, amplifying or reversing these biases. For example, species with higher specific leaf area (tied to rapid resource acquisition) tended to dominate vegetation on lower soil terraces, but were more common in the seed bank on higher terraces—at least when patterns were weighted by species' relative abundances. Although seed banks were generally characterized by “fast” attributes, observed shifts in seed bank biases across the gradient—particularly in leaf traits—demonstrate that environment can impact stored diversity and, consequently, our expectations for future vegetative turnover. The seed bank bias patterns that we characterized could be the result of many potential processes, including environment‐ or trait‐driven variation in seed bank inputs (seed production, dispersal) or losses (seed desiccation, germination), and may have important implications for a system's adaptive capacity. Only by integrating seed banks into the functional ecology agenda will we be able to unpack these processes and use seed banks more effectively in both prediction and ecosystem management.

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Effects of experimental restoration on the diaspore bank of an upland moor degraded by Pteridium aquilinum invasion

et al. 2007

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We assessed the effects of a range of experimental restoration treatments on the diaspore bank (seed and spores) on an upland moor infested by dense Pteridium aquilinum, 9 years after implementation. Experimental treatment included both Pteridium control (cutting, spraying and combinations) and restoration treatments (grazing, seeding); both univariate and multivariate analyses of variance were used to assess significant effects. The seed bank was made up largely of Calluna vulgaris, Juncus effusus and Agrostis capillaris with the majority germinating from the litter (38 per cent) and upper soil layer (53 per cent). Soil depth influenced species composition and density, with greatest numbers near the surface, in keeping with a negative exponential response. In the lowest soil depth only ferns were abundant. A. capillaris seed density was greater in the most disturbed treatment (cut twice yearly with grazing), whereas C. vulgaris was greater in the low-disturbance treatment (herbicide application only). The diaspore bank composition response identified that certain treatment combinations had a grass-heath composition in the upper soil layer, which may assist future restoration. There was a significant effect of C. vulgaris seed addition detected in the Pteridium litter layer suggesting that this litter acted as a barrier to seed transfer to the soil. There was little evidence of coupling developing between the diaspore bank and vegetation. The most successful treatment combination was cutting twice per yr with low grazing plus C. vulgaris addition as brash. Where seed is added the Pteridium litter should be disturbed.

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Soil seed bank of an upland calcareous grassland after 6 years of climate and mangement manipulations

Cited by 69 publications

References 32 publications

Severe effects of long-term drought on calcareous grassland seed banks

Severe effects of long-term drought on calcareous grassland seed banks

Seed bank bias: Differential tracking of functional traits in the seed bank and vegetation across a gradient

Effects of experimental restoration on the diaspore bank of an upland moor degraded by Pteridium aquilinum invasion

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