Dynamics of the soil seed bank over the short-term after bush clearing in a semi-arid shrubland in Springbokvlakte thornveld of South Africa

Mndela, Mthunzi; Madakadze, I. C.; Nherera-Chokuda, Florence V; Dube, Sikhalazo

doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2019.07.033

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Fencing following bush clearing is also important for protecting floral parts of aboveground vegetation from grazing, thereby ensuring high seed production. Moreover, spreading branches of cleared woody plants, termed brush-packing, may also be useful not only for increasing seed production but also protection of seedlings from trampling and increasing infiltration, thereby ensuring successful seedling emergence and establishment (Mndela et al 2019). The two forbs (B. pilosa and S. pinnata) are invaders and may exacerbate ecosystem degradation through competing with indigenous species for resources.…”

Section: Soil Seed Bank Composition and Richness In The Cleared And Uncleared Micrositesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ample evidence shows that passive restoration is a function of the soil seed bank of annual forbs and grasses following bush clearing (Korb et al 2005;Mndela et al 2019;Siebert and Drebber, 2019). This is due mainly to the fact that early successional species produce large number of seeds which are highly persistent (Gelviz-Gelvez et al 2016), and they colonise vigorously in bare patches once light availability increases in bushcleared sites (Mndela et al 2019). As a result, soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation are tightly coupled, having a strong positive feedback especially during early successional stages (Bossuyt and Hermy 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, direct seed extraction and identification methods may capture non-viable seeds (Tessema et al 2016) and omit small-sized seeds, leading to both over-and underestimation of seed densities (Farnsworth et al 2012). On the other hand, germination assays have high capacity to discriminate non-viable seeds from viable ones (Mndela et al 2019) and can provide good results if the germination cycle is long enough and field conditions are correctly mimicked to allow germination of all seeds including dormant ones (Abella et al 2013). The objective of this study was to evaluate time-series dynamics of the soil seed bank size, diversity and composition and relationship between soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation following bush clearing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is the soil seed bank a reliable source for passive restoration of bush-cleared semi-arid rangelands of South Africa?

et al. 2020

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Background Bush clearing of encroached rangelands is crucial for restoration of herbaceous cover and diversity. Regeneration after bush clearing depends largely on the soil seed bank (SSB) size and composition. To assess the potential of the SSB to facilitate post-clearing herbaceous restoration, we examined the SSB density, composition and diversity and similarity between SSB and aboveground vegetation (AGV). Methods The study was conducted in semi-arid rangelands of Maseding and Kgomokgomo in North-West Province of South Africa. In each rangeland, all woody plants in three 1250 m2 plots were cut using saws and loppers, with the stumps treated with picloram. Paired observations were conducted in cleared and uncleared microsites. Soil samples were collected at three depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm) in each microsite in April (pre-treatment), August, October and December 2016 and in April and August 2017. SSB was assessed using seedling emergence method, whereas pre- and post-clearing surveys of AGV were conducted in February 2016 and 2017, respectively. Results Cleared microsites had significantly (p < 0.01) higher seed bank densities (1872 and 693 seeds m-2 at Maseding and Kgomokgomo, respectively) relative to uncleared microsites in August 2017, with grasses accounting for higher densities than other plant functional groups in the upper 0–10 cm. Pioneer grasses (Aristida congesta subsp. barbicollis, Brachiaria eruciformis and Tragus berteronianus) and invasive forbs (Bidens pilosa and Schkuhria pinnata) dominated the SSB in cleared microsites at Maseding, whereas succulents (Portulaca spp.) and pioneer grasses (T. berteronianus and Urochloa mosambicensis) were abundant at Kgomokgomo in August 2017. SSB and AGV were dissimilar until December 2016; thereafter, similarity increased significantly (p < 0.05) in cleared microsites (Sørensen’s coefficient = 0.60 to 0.66 at Maseding and 0.43 to 0.52 at Kgomokgomo) compared to uncleared microsites. Species diversity was highest in August 2016 and April 2017 at Maseding, but it did not differ between two microsites (p > 0.05). At Kgomokgomo, SSB was more diverse in cleared than uncleared microsites in April and August 2017. Conclusion High seed bank densities in the upper soil layer in cleared microsites would promote passive restoration, but regeneration is likely to be initiated by early successional species. However, close monitoring and eradication of invasive forbs and succulents is necessary following bush clearing. The tendency of SSB resembling AGV over time in cleared microsites signifies that seed production from AGV is important for passive restoration following bush clearing.

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Section: Soil Seed Bank Composition and Richness In The Cleared And Uncleared Micrositesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is the soil seed bank a reliable source for passive restoration of bush-cleared semi-arid rangelands of South Africa?

et al. 2020

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“…The SSB composition was determined through the seedling emergence method that provides a good indication of the readily germinable seed bank (Espeland et al 2010). Seedling emergence method has high capacity to discriminate non‐viable seeds from viable ones (Mndela et al 2019). Also, this method will allow us to provide also a good perspective for managers in using in situ seedbanks as opposed to sowing seed as source material for vegetation restoration efforts (Sanou et al 2018).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in soil seed bank and relationship with aboveground vegetation across microhabitats in a savanna‐woodland of West Africa

Sanou

Savadogo

Zida

et al. 2022

Nordic Journal of Botany

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Soil seed bank (SSB) characteristics may vary with habitat heterogeneity. We investigated the SSB density in three microhabitats (under canopy, eroded soil and bare soil) in five vegetation types (abandoned farm, dense woodland, gallery forest, grassland and open woodland) at varying soil depths (0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 cm) in a savanna‐woodland in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Total germinable SSB densities varied between 4 and 308 seeds per dm3 of soil. Herbaceous taxa were the major constituent of the germinable SSB across the microhabitats, regardless of vegetation type. Seedlings of 30 species emerged from the SSB, of which 24 were annual species and only 4 woody species, indicating that natural regeneration of woody species via seed dispersal is limited. Both microhabitat and vegetation type contributed to the variation in taxa richness, and germinable seed density and diversity. There was a significant difference in SSB density and richness between microhabitats in the different vegetation types (p < 0.05). The SSB densities were higher under tree canopies than outside tree canopies (eroded soil and bare soil) and highest in the upper soil layers in all vegetation types. The aboveground vegetation (AGV) and flora within the SSB shared many herbaceous species but many woody species present in the AGV were absent in the SSB. Under tree canopies are the ecological niches that favor accumulation of a diversity of seeds, suggesting the preservation and conservation of adult trees in savanna‐woodland ecosystems is critical to facilitating the restoration of these ecosystems.

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“…The soil seed bank (SSB) has a major role as a reservoir in the soil of viable propagules (Ma et al, 2010;Anderson et al, 2012), reducing the probability of plant species extinctions after disturbances (Valkó et al, 2014) by acting as a buffer against environmental changes (Li et al, 2012), especially in arid desert areas. Previous studies have found that the SSB had a low density and species diversity in desert areas (Qian et al, 2016;Mndela et al, 2019), and it was not randomly distributed but clustered within a certain environment (Shaukat & Siddiqui, 2004;Wang et al, 2005). This spatial heterogeneity characteristic of SSBs mainly resulted from seed rain, biological disturbances, and various ecological processes (Olano et al, 2002;Caballero et al, 2008), which also had decisive influence on the regeneration pattern of seedlings (Bekker et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of soil seed banks and their relationships with above‐ground vegetation in an arid desert

Luo

Guo

Feng

et al. 2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions What are the characteristics of the spatial patterns of soil seed banks (SSBs) at local scales? How does the spatial distribution of SSBs relate to above‐ground vegetation? Location The piedmont plain of the eastern slope of Gandur mountain, Wuhai, northwestern China. Methods A plot of 50 m × 50 m square, divided into 100 quadrats (5 m × 5 m) and 100 subquadrats (1 m × 1 m), was prepared to conduct a field survey of vegetation and SSB sampling. We analyzed the spatial pattern of 196 samples at different scales and directions with geostatistical analysis. The relationship between above‐ground vegetation and SSB was quantified by integrating geostatistics, point pattern analysis, and spatial comparison (IGPS). Results The SSB density in the study area was 404.5 ± 352 seeds·m−2. SSBs of shrub species and herbaceous species Ⅱ (occurring only below‐ground) had a moderate spatial autocorrelation, and their spatial dependence increased with increasing scale. The SSB of herbaceous species Ⅰ (occurring both above‐ground and below‐ground) had great spatial autocorrelation, and its spatial dependence showed an initial decrease and then increased. Furthermore, SSBs showed lower spatial heterogeneity in the prevailing wind direction than in other directions. The spatial patterns of SSBs of shrub species and herbaceous species Ⅰ correlated with shrubs within a specific range, but not with herbs, while the SSB of herbaceous species Ⅱ did not have a spatial relationship with above‐ground vegetation. Conclusion The spatial pattern of SSBs had scale dependence features, which exhibited clustered distribution at a certain scale, and were significantly correlated with above‐ground shrubs. Therefore, we suggest subsampling larger quadrats with smaller sample units near shrubs in desert areas. Our workflow seems efficient for determining the spatial pattern of SSBs at medium small scale in arid areas.

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Dynamics of the soil seed bank over the short-term after bush clearing in a semi-arid shrubland in Springbokvlakte thornveld of South Africa

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Is the soil seed bank a reliable source for passive restoration of bush-cleared semi-arid rangelands of South Africa?

Is the soil seed bank a reliable source for passive restoration of bush-cleared semi-arid rangelands of South Africa?

Variation in soil seed bank and relationship with aboveground vegetation across microhabitats in a savanna‐woodland of West Africa

Spatial patterns of soil seed banks and their relationships with above‐ground vegetation in an arid desert

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