Abstract
ABSTRACT: Aeschynomene virginica is a freshwater, tidal plant ranging from southern New Jersey to central North Carolina. This plant is listed as threatened in the United States. Population sizes vary greatly from year to year and population sites are often unoccupied several years before re-establishment. Despite long-term population monitoring and experiments, it is not clear if seed banks and seed dispersal or only seed banks re-establish unoccupied population sites. The removal of a dam on Vandell Preserve, New Kent County, Virginia, created a natural experiment that helps clarify the role of seed bank and seed dispersal processes. The establishment of new A. virginica populations on long-covered soils devoid of a seed bank would indicate successful seed dispersal. I review the seed bank and seed dispersal research for A. virginica and map populations before and after dam removal. Past research suggests A. virginica forms only a short-term seed bank that does not persist in buried or inundated soils. ...
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