![]() ![]() Soil seed banks are buried seed reserves, which are viable and able to germinate under changing environmental conditions (, , ). Soil seed banks are an important component in the succession and regeneration of ecosystems. Keywordsīetula, Buried Seeds, Propagule Bank, Seed Density, Viable Seeds, Germination However, as the seed bank is only short-term persistent, it must be supplemented by fresh seeds from surrounding seed trees as often as possible to guarantee a continuous capacity for regeneration. Our results reveal that a birch seed bank may compensate for years with lower levels of seed production. Maximum seed densities were recorded during and shortly after seed rains had occurred. The higher the numbers of seed trees, the higher the seed densities in soils. We found that in spite of the capacity for long seed dispersal distances, high densities of birch, alder and willow seeds were only observed in close proximity to seed trees. Viable seeds of rowan were not detected in any of the soil seed bank studies, although seed trees were present. With increasing soil depth, seed density declined. ![]() Maximum seed densities of all tree species were found in the upper soil layers. The seeds of alder, willow and poplar would appear to be short-lived. Birch seeds remain viable in deeper soil layers (5 - 10 cm), so birch may be assigned to the short-term persistent soil seed bank type. ![]() The review of 33 publications revealed that birch is the only pioneer tree species of temperate forests with longer-lived seeds, persisting in the soil for 1 - 5 years. The objective of this study was to undertake a literature review of soil seed bank research carried out in central and north-west European temperate forests to provide an overview of the ability of pioneer tree species to form a viable seed bank. Following disturbance, buried viable seeds germinate and the seedlings that establish cover the disturbed, exposed soil surfaces. Soil seed banks are an important component of succession and regeneration in ecosystems. The ability of short-lived tree species such as birch, alder, willow, poplar and rowan to form even a short-term soil seed bank is discussed controversially in the literature. ![]()
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