Viable seeds buried in the tropical forest soils of Xishuangbanna, SW China

Cao, Min; Tang, Yong; Cai-Yu, SHENG; Zhang, Jianhou

doi:10.1017/s0960258500000283

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For example, the notorious invasive species, Eupatorium adenophorum was the most abundant non-forest species both in soil seed banks and in understory vegetation in Lithocarpus xylocarpus forest edge zones. A native weed, Thysanolaena maxima, was the most dominant (relative abundance, 9.87%) species in soil seed banks in Shorea wantianshuea forest edge zones, and was also dominant in soil seed banks in a seasonal rainforest fragment interior (Cao et al, 2000). Although it was not found in understory vegetation, it could dominate secondary grasslands that developed on lands where most woody plants were removed by human activity (Zhang and Cao, 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Trays were watered twice a day to keep the soil moist. Emerging seedlings were counted every 2 days for 6 months (see Cao et al, 2000), and those identified were removed with minimal disturbance to the soil. Seedlings that could not be identified were transplanted to pots at 6 months and grown to the flowering stage for identification to species.…”

Section: Sampling Soil Seed Banks and Seed Germinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Edge effects on soil seed banks and understory vegetation in subtropical and tropical forests in Yunnan, SW China

Lin

Cao

2009

Forest Ecology and Management

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sampling Soil Seed Banks and Seed Germinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edge effects on soil seed banks and understory vegetation in subtropical and tropical forests in Yunnan, SW China

Lin

Cao

2009

Forest Ecology and Management

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Moffatt and McLachlan (2003) reported that seeds of weedy and exotic species were positively associated with fragmentation, high levels of disturbance, and dry alkaline soils in riparian forests. Our previous study of the seasonal rain forest in Xishuangbanna, southwestern China, suggests that the high abundance of weeds in soil seed banks could be a result of local forest fragmentation and disturbance (Cao et al 2000;Tang et al 2006). Accordingly, we hypothesized that fragmentation of continuous forests significantly increases both richness and size of soil seed banks of nonconstituent species in the fragments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Trays were watered twice a day to keep the soil moist. Emerging seedlings were counted every 2 days for 6 months (see Cao et al 2000), and those that were identified were removed with minimal disturbance to the soil. Seedlings that could not be identified were transplanted to pots and grown to the flowering stage for identification to species.…”

Section: Seed Germinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonconstituent species in soil seed banks as indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in forest fragments

Lin¹,

Cao²,

He³

et al. 2006

Can. J. For. Res.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest fragmentation is prevalent in regions with high human population density, but also with high biological diversity, such as southwestern China. Predicting potential changes in species composition in native forest ecosystems resulting from forest fragmentation is an important approach in assessing forest ecosystems and sustainable management of forests. The term nonconstituent species is proposed for plant species that occur in a natural landscape but are not native to it. We hypothesized that fragmentation of continuous forests significantly increases both the richness and the size of soil seed banks of nonconstituent species. To test our hypothesis we compared soil seed banks in three small fragments and one large tract of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan Province, southwestern China. In total, 249 species were identified in all soil samples from the four sites. Nonconstituent species represented 36.4%-61.5% of the total taxa and 33.8%-59.6% of total germinants from soil samples in the three forest fragments, but only 3.7%-7.9% of total taxa and 7.5%-9.4% of total germinants from soil samples in the continuous forest tract. Both richness and size of soil seed banks of nonconstituent species were greater under forest fragments than under continuous forest. A majority of nonconstituent species were native weeds and annual herbs with wind-dispersed seeds; most were present in soil seed banks but not in aboveground vegetation. We suggest that nonconstituent species in soil seed banks could be used as an indicator species group for assessing human disturbance. If so, the richness and size of soil seed banks of nonconstituent species could play an important role in quantifying disturbance in forests.Résumé : La fragmentation de la forêt est courante dans les régions à forte densité de population humaine, telles que le sud-ouest de la Chine où il y a une grande diversité biologique. Dans l'évaluation des écosystèmes forestiers et dans le contexte de l'aménagement durable des forêts, il est important d'anticiper les changements que la fragmentation de la forêt pourrait entraîner dans la composition en espèces des écosystèmes forestiers indigènes. L'expression « espèce non constituante » est proposée pour désigner les espèces de plantes qui se retrouvent dans un paysage naturel mais qui ne sont pas originaires de cet endroit. Nous avons fait l'hypothèse que la fragmentation des forêts continues devrait significativement augmenter tant la richesse que la taille des banques de graines des espèces non constituantes présen-tes dans le sol. Pour tester notre hypothèse, nous avons comparé les banques de graines de trois petits fragments et d'une grande étendue de forêt subtropicale de feuillus à feuillage persistant dans la Province de Yunnan, dans le sudouest de la Chine. Au total, 249 espèces ont été identifiées dans les échantillons de sol provenant de quatre stations. Les espèces non constituantes représentaient 36,4 % à 61,5 % de tous les taxons et 33,8 % à 59,6 % de toutes les graines ...

show abstract

“…Several studies suggested that burial may help to evade seed predation, either when burial occurs spontaneously (e.g., the seeds reach fi ssures in the soil or are covered by sediments after rainfalls) or when it is performed by animals (e.g., scatter-hoarding granivores). Nevertheless, most studies supporting these proposals were conducted in continuous forest ecosystems where seed predators can move freely across the landscape (e.g., Crawley and Long, 1995;Hulme and Borelli, 1999;Cao et al, 2000;Perea et al, 2012). Consequently, in these landscapes, seed consumers constantly move in search of those food resources that are easier to accede (e.g., seed exposed on the soil surface), while they ignore buried seeds because prey manipulation time (i.e., the time required to accede and consume a seed) is higher (Sork, 1983;Hulme and Borelli, 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relevance of Burial to Evade Acorn Predation in an Oak Forest Affected by Habitat Loss and Land Use Changes

Palacios¹,

Badano²

2014

Bot. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Seed burial has been proposed as an effective mechanism to evade predation in continuous forests. However, its relevance may be compromised in fragmented forests because: (1) predators are usually concentrated within forests patches, which elevates consumer pressure on seeds; and (2) fragmentation reduces seed production in remnant trees, decreasing food availability for seed consumers. Thus, predators might be forced to consume buried seeds after seeds on the soil surface are depleted. Indeed, they may explore the surrounding matrix in search of food when seeds within patches become scarce. This study assesses these issues in a fragmented oak forest where human activities have generated four habitat types: forest patches, patch edges, matrix habitat surrounding patches, and an abandoned agricultural fi eld in the neighborhoods of the fragmented forest. In this landscape, we assessed what animals consume acorn and compared removal rates between buried acorns and acorns exposed on the soil surface across these habitat types. Mice of the genus Peromyscus and birds of the genus Aphelocoma were the main responsible of removing acorns in all habitats types, but mice were only recorded during night and birds were only recorded during day. Buried acorns were less removed (12-35%) than exposed ones (42-68%) in the matrix habitat and the abandoned fi eld. Nevertheless, within forest patches and their edges, buried (78-81%) and exposed acorns (91%) showed no differences in removal rates. These results suggest that burial may be an effective mechanism to evade acorn predation in habitats strongly affected by human activities, while it would have little relevance within forest patches. Keywords: birds, fragmentation, Mexico, mice, seed predation.Resumen: El enterramiento de semillas es considerado un mecanismo efectivo para evadir la depredación en bosques continuos. Sin embargo, su importancia puede verse comprometida en bosques fragmentados debido a que: (1) los depredadores suelen concentrarse en los parches de bosque, lo que eleva la presión de consumo sobre las semillas; y (2) la fragmentación reduce la producción de semillas en los árboles remanentes, lo que disminuye la disponibilidad de alimentos para sus consumidores. Así, los depredadores podrían verse obligados a consumir semillas enterradas después de agotar las semillas en la superfi cie del suelo. De hecho, podrían incluso explorar el hábitat circundante en busca de comida cuando las semillas dentro de los parches escaseen. Este estudio se enfoca en estos temas en un encinar fragmentado, donde las actividades humanas generaron cuatro tipos de hábi-tats: el interior de los parches de bosque, sus bordes, la matriz de hábitat que rodea los parches, y un campo agrícola abandonado colindante al bosque fragmentado. En este paisaje se evaluó cuáles animales contribuyen a movilizar las bellotas, y se compararon las tasas de sustracción entre bellotas enterradas y expuestas en la superfi cie del suelo a través de esos tipos de hábitat. Ratones del género Perom...

show abstract

Viable seeds buried in the tropical forest soils of Xishuangbanna, SW China

Cited by 18 publications

References 29 publications

Edge effects on soil seed banks and understory vegetation in subtropical and tropical forests in Yunnan, SW China

Edge effects on soil seed banks and understory vegetation in subtropical and tropical forests in Yunnan, SW China

Nonconstituent species in soil seed banks as indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in forest fragments

The Relevance of Burial to Evade Acorn Predation in an Oak Forest Affected by Habitat Loss and Land Use Changes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About