Title
THE SOIL SEED BANK AS AN INDICATOR of ALTITUDINAL GRADIENT in A MONTANE TROPICAL FOREST
Date Issued
01 January 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universidad Federal de Lavras
Publisher(s)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia
Abstract
The study was conducted in a portion of tropical montane forest in the Caparaó National Park, Brazil. The aim of this work was to assess the changes in seed bank composition, density and richness along an altitudinal gradient and across seasons, and to analyse the floristic links between the forest soil seed bank, seed rain, regeneration layer and adult tree layer. The seed bank data were collected in the dry and rainy seasons at seven different elevations, ranging from 1112 - 1550 m above sea level. The floristic relationships were analysed through the species lists derived from previous studies at these same locations. The results showed seed density and species richness varied among different elevations, but did not vary with gradient. Seed bank density and richness varied significantly across seasons, with the highest averages found in the rainy season. In the floristic composition, the higher elevations showed more similar composition than to the lower elevations. Seed bank composition was floristically different from the seed rain, the regeneration layer and the adult tree layer of the forest. Our results showed that the soil seed bank was influenced by both altitude and environmental seasonality. The findings highlighted the importance soil seed bank as a mechanism of post-disturbance forest regeneration.
Start page
473
End page
481
Volume
33
Issue
4
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias de las plantas, Botánica
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85121731737
Source
Journal of Tropical Forest Science
ISSN of the container
01281283
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus