The soil seed bank in abandoned tropical pastures: source of regeneration or invasion?
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Issue Date
2011Subject
FORESTSSOIL QUALITY
SOIL ECOLOGY
MEXICO
RESEARCH
INTRODUCED SPECIES
INVASIVE SPECIES
SEEDING
SEEDS
NATIVE PLANTS
Journal title
Revista Mexicana de BiodiversidadVolume
82Begin page
663End page
678
Metadata
Show full item recordAlternative link
http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?pid=S1870-34532011000200024&script=sci_arttext&tlng=enAbstract
We assessed the availability of both pioneer and non-native species in the soil seed bank of old-growth forest and recently abandoned pasture, to evaluate whether the soil seed bank in these pastures represents a source of regeneration of species from adjacent old-growth forest or of invasion by non-native species. Our study was conducted at Selva Lacandona, Chiapas, Mexico. Soil samples were randomly collected from 6 sites in old-growth forest, and 6 sites in abandoned pastures. Seedlings from soil samples were identified and classified into pioneer, non-native (weeds/graminoids), and other forest species. Pioneer species seeds were virtually absent in pastures, but represented ~30% of seeds in the forest. Non-native species comprised ~99% of the soil seed bank in pastures. In the forest, soil seed bank density of weeds and graminoids decreased with increasing distance (up to 4 km) from agricultural fields, and comprised up to 25% (Mean ± 1SE= 16 ± 7) of the seed bank. Our results show a near total elimination of pioneer species from the soil seed bank in pastures, and considerable invasion of the borders of the Montes Azules reserve by seeds of non-native species. Thus, in the region studied, the soil seed bank in abandoned pastures represents a source of invasion by non-native species into old-growth forest rather than a potential source of forest regeneration.Type
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