Abstract
The soil seed bank (SSB) is a natural bank of viable seeds in the soil or on its surface. Researches on SSB have accumulated extensively worldwide, but have seldom been visualized and quantitatively analyzed. In this paper, publications related to SSB from 1900 to 2019 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database, and reviewed and analyzed using CiteSpace. Annual publications distribution, co-occurrence analysis, collaboration network analysis, co-citation analysis and burst detection were all conducted. The results showed that (1) the number of SSB publications had increased rapidly and is still a hotspot; (2) SSB study is an interdisciplinary field mainly concentrated in ecology, environmental science, and plant science; (3) close research cooperation occurred among European countries which were more influential, whereas the USA was the most active country; (4) soil seed genetic diversity, seed persistence, seed trait, restoration potential and restoration projects, and spatial and temporal variation were the main research areas. (5) R language and linear mixed effects models are currently popular in SSB research. Invasive species, weed control, restoration potential and restoration projects, seed traits (especially seed longevity and dormancy), and SSB responses to environment changes (especially climate change and fire) are newly emerging trends in the research.
Highlights
The germination of mature seeds may be delayed for an indefinite period
soil seed bank (SSB) studies are important for vegetation dynamics and ecological restoration and management, as normal vegetation regeneration depends on the seeds in the soil [2,3]
As a great quantity of publications have accumulated but their distribution law and the internal relationships that could be deeply mined were previously unknown, we investigated and analyzed the distribution of publications among years; subject categories; countries/regions, institutions, and authors; the cooperation relationship between countries, institutions, and authors; the major research areas; valuable references; and the emerging trends
Summary
The germination of mature seeds may be delayed for an indefinite period. During this time, the seeds on the surface of or within the soil are likely to form a soil seed bank (SSB) [1]. This book systematically collated and summarized previous research results, and the definition of SSB, referred to the collection of all seeds that live in the soil and on the soil surface, was widely used [8,9]. In 2018, Kiss et al reviewed 42 papers globally from the viewpoint of restoration prospects and climate change [14] Despite these studies, few studies have quantitatively addressed and analyzed the overall structure of SSB research and recent emerging trends in this area. As a great quantity of publications have accumulated but their distribution law and the internal relationships that could be deeply mined were previously unknown, we investigated and analyzed the distribution of publications among years; subject categories; countries/regions, institutions, and authors; the cooperation relationship between countries, institutions, and authors; the major research areas; valuable references; and the emerging trends. Our findings may help researchers in SSB area comprehend the current research state, and identify newly emerging trends in the SSB field
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