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Effects of disturbance and altitude on soil seed banks of tropical montane forests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2013

Denis Lippok ,
Florian Walter ,
Isabell Hensen ,
Stephan G. Beck  and
Matthias Schleuning
Denis Lippok*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
Florian Walter
Affiliation:
Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
Isabell Hensen
Affiliation:
Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108 Halle (Saale), Germany German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
Stephan G. Beck
Affiliation:
National Herbarium of Bolivia, UMSA, Campus Universitario, Cota Cota, La Paz, Bolivia
Matthias Schleuning
Affiliation:
Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108 Halle (Saale), Germany Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) and Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract:

Vast areas of tropical forests have been deforested by human activities, resulting in landscapes comprising forest fragments in matrices of deforested habitats. Soil seed banks (SSB) are essential sources for the regeneration of tropical forests after disturbance. In a fragmented montane landscape in the Bolivian Andes, we investigated SSB in three different habitat types that were associated with different degrees of disturbance, i.e. in forest interior, at forest edges and in deforested habitats. Sampling of habitats was replicated at six sites ranging in altitude from 1950 to 2450 m asl. We extracted seeds from dried soil samples by sieving, classified seeds into morphospecies and size classes, and characterized SSB in terms of density, species richness and composition. We tested effects of disturbance (i.e. habitat type) and altitude on SSB characteristics. Overall, small seeds (<1 mm) dominated SSB (81% of sampled seeds). Seed density and species richness were lowest in deforested habitats, especially in large seeds and distant from adjacent forests (≥20 m), while small-seeded species were most numerous near forest margins. Species turnover between habitats was high. Altitude altered the composition of SSB, but had no effects on seed density and species richness. We conclude that the potential of SSB for natural regeneration of deforested habitats is low and decreases with increasing distance from forest remnants and that forest edges may be eventually invaded by small-seeded species from deforested habitats.

Keywords

AndesBoliviadeforestationedge effectsnatural regeneration
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 29 , Issue 6 , November 2013 , pp. 523 - 529
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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