Seed banks and seedling occurrence in a high Arctic oasis at Alexandra Fjord, Ellesmere Island, Canada

Abstract

The sizes and floras of the seed banks and seedling communities are described for a variety of habitats in a high Arctic lowland oasis on Ellesmere Island, located at 79° N latitude. Four disturbed habitats had larger seed banks than did four undisturbed habitats (averaging 3070/m2 vs. 63/m2). The seedling densities measured in the disturbed habitats were also larger (1780/m2 vs. 180/m2). The data indicate that sexual reproduction is important to the herbaceous, short-lived, ruderal species which colonize disturbed sites in the high Arctic. This contrasts with the more conservative strategy of stress-tolerant species that occur in relatively closed and undisturbed habitats, which tend to propagate by vegetative mechanisms.