Abstract
Abstract Question: What is the importance of the seed bank in the maintenance of the restoration potential of a 60-year-old abandoned calcareous grassland overgrown by Pinus trees? Location: ‘Les Pairees’, province of Luxembourg, Belgium. Methods: The seed bank and the above-ground vegetation were surveyed in three adjacent stands, previously forming a unique calcareous grassland: a 60-year-old Pinus forest, a four-year-old clear-cutting and a typical calcareous grassland. Floristic diversity was compared among stands and between vegetation and seed bank. Results: The species richness of the vegetation and the seed bank was significantly lower in the Pinus forest. More floristic similarities were found between the clear-cutting and the calcareous grassland. Seed bank was essentially transient, dominated by annual species. Its correspondence with the above-ground vegetation was weak. Conclusion: Very few calcareous grassland species have persisted in the Pinus stand. Four years after clear-cutting, the sta...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
