Soil seed bank composition of three forest stands at different developmental stages in a warm-temperate forest in western Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe investigated the composition of buried viable seeds for woody species in three forest stands in a warm-temperate forest at different developmental stages: a secondary deciduous broad-leaved forest, an evergreen broad-leaved forest where an evergreen oak became dominant recently, and a well-developed evergreen broad-leaved forest. Although no clear relationship was found between total density or species number of buried viable seeds for woody species and the stands, their composition was likely to change from being dominated by wind-dispersed species to frugivore-dispersed species in accordance with their developmental stage. For wind-dispersed species, the distribution of buried viable seed was related to the existence of their reproductive adults, which would significantly decrease as forest development. In the later developmental stage of the stands, buried viable seeds of frugivore-dispersed woody species significantly increased and their distribution tended to be even. It is suggested that the importance of frugivore-dispersed woody species may increase in a soil seed bank as forest stand development progressed in a warm-temperate secondary forest, where evergreen oaks usually become dominant.