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Title

Spatial variability of the soil seed bank in a heterogeneous ephemeral wetland system in semi-arid Australia

Author(s)

James, Cassandra S.;  Capon, Samantha J.;  White, Melissa G.;  Rayburg, Scott C.;  Thoms, Martin C.

Abstract

Soil seed banks are an important component of plant community diversity in ephemeral wetlands, allowing many species to persist through unpredictable periods of flood and drought. Spatial variation of extant vegetation in such habitats commonly reflects patterns of flood history and often varies predictably between broadly differing hydro-geomorphic habitat types. Here we investigate whether spatial variation of soil seed banks is similarly controlled by fluvial processes at this scale. Results are presented from a seedling emergence trial using samples collected from a range of habitat types, and at different scales within these, in the ephemeral Narran Lakes system in semi-arid Australia. Composition and structure of soil seed banks varied significantly between habitat types reflecting broad differences in flood frequency. As predicted, germinable seed abundance was found to be highest in intermediately flooded habitats. Variability in soil seed bank composition at a local scale was also found to be influenced by hydrology with greater spatial heterogeneity evident in the river channel as well as amongst the least frequently inundated riparian and floodplain habitats.

Publication type

Journal article

Source

Plant Ecology, Vol. 190, no. 2 (Jun 2007), pp. 205-217

Publication year

2007

FOR Code(s)

0602 Ecology;  0607 Plant Biology

Keyword(s)

Australia;  Flooding;  Germination;  Hydrology;  Narran Lakes;  New South Wales;  Riparian vegetation;  Vegetation dynamics

Publisher

Springer

ISSN

1385-0237

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11258-006-9201-9

Copyright

Copyright © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. The accepted manuscript is reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. The definitive version of the publication is available at www.springer.com.

Full text

Peer reviewed