Abstract

SIONE, S. M. J. et al. Soil seed bank in two successional stages of the native forest in Entre Ríos. Quebracho (Santiago del Estero) [online]. 2015, vol.23, n.2, pp.62-63. ISSN 0328-0543.

The soil seed bank (SSB) represents the regenerative potential of plant communities and plays an important role in the recovery of disturbed areas. The objective of this paper was to analyze the soil seed bank of a native forest in Entre Rios, Argentina, in two successional stages. Two treatments were evaluated: (T1) Native forest (BN), dominated by Prosopis affinis, and (T2) Second growth forest (BREN), a characteristic community of the initial stages of plant succession, resulting from deforestation, where Acacia caven is the dominant species. Soil samples were extracted at two different depths: 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm. The total seed density within the first 10 cm was significantly higher in BN (11.917 seeds/m2) than in BREN (5.169 seeds/m2). A richness of 57 species was recorded in the BN, with Setaria geniculata exhibiting the highest relative density at the surface soil layer, while 45 species were found in the BREN, where Solanum sisymbriifolium was the dominant species within the first 5 cm. The BREN showed an SSB with lower richness, smaller size and proportion of native species than that of the BN. In both treatments, most of the species were persistent bank formers, with the short-term persistent being the most abundant ones. Acacia caven was the only tree species found in the SSB, exhibiting low frequency and relative density values. This low density of tree seeds in the SSB might hinder the regeneration of the native forest, especially in areas covered with saplings.

Keywords : Propagules reservoir; Seed density; Native tree species; Reservorio de propágulos; Densidad de semillas; Especies arbóreas nativas.

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