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Germinable soil seed bank of a gallery forest in Brazilian Cerrado

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Abstract

The soil seed bank is a dynamic biotic component of plant communities that represents the population’s memory in relation to selective events. Few studies have investigated the natural stock of germinable seeds in the gallery forests to evaluate their regeneration potential, although they are target of anthropogenic action. Thus, seasonal, horizontal, and vertical qualitative and quantitative variations of the seed bank of a gallery forest in the Brazilian Cerrado were studied to test the influence of the climatic seasonality, the influence of the physical structure, and depth of the soil in different microhabitats of the forest in this natural seed store. It was also compared the richness and abundance of species in the germinable seed bank with the above-ground vegetation. Three hundred and seventy-five soil samples were collected at the beginning (April 1998 and 1999) and at the end of the dry season (September 1998). These samples were collected in three microhabitats distributed transversally in relation to drainage line of a large stream, at five depths. The density of germinable seeds decreases with depth, and is similar among microhabitats and seasons. In 24,690 cm3 of soil and 4.05 m2 of litter, 1390 seedlings emerged, being 743 dicotyledons and 647 monocotyledons. From 761 survivors, 263 were Cyperaceae, 206 Melastomataceae, 153 Poaceae, and 82 Onagraceae, the most abundant families. This study suggests that the diversity of the germinable soil seed bank is lower than that of the above-ground vegetation of the forest, and that the soil seed bank is not the principal regeneration form of this environment.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). The field work was done with the help of Mr. Hélio Pereira (in memoriam), Flávio Rodrigues Oliveira, Lourenço Faria Costa, Luiz Harmed Salmen Espíndola, and Danilo A. Carvalho. Identifications of seedlings were done by Dr. Ivan Schiavini. Review of the English text was done by Mr. John David Bagnall. Important suggestions and constructive criticism were given by Dr. Christian Westerkamp, by Dr. Emilio Bruna, and by the anonymous referees; statistics suggestions were given by Dr. Denise G. Santana. The authors register sincere thanks.

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  1. Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Caixa Postal 593, 38400-902, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil

    Marli A. Ranal

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  1. Sandra Graciele Pereira-Diniz
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Correspondence to Marli A. Ranal.

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Pereira-Diniz, S., Ranal, M.A. Germinable soil seed bank of a gallery forest in Brazilian Cerrado. Plant Ecol 183, 337–348 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-9044-9

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