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Seed banks of a rare wetland plant community: distribution patterns and effects of human‐induced disturbance
Author(s) -
Wisheu Irene C.,
Keddy Paul A.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.2307/3235950
Subject(s) - standing crop , vegetation (pathology) , plant community , disturbance (geology) , endangered species , ecology , shore , wetland , rare species , coastal plain , juncus , litter , geography , habitat , ecological succession , biology , fishery , biomass (ecology) , medicine , paleontology , pathology
Seed banks in rare shoreline communities (Nova Scotia, Canada), were examined in order to determine their role in the persistence of rare plant species. A pristine shoreline which supports globally and nationally significant Atlantic coastal plain species averaged 8500 seeds/m 2 . Seedsweremost abundant high on the shore and where standing crop was greatest. Rare species, which made up 22% of the standing crop and litter of the adult vegetation, comprised only 4% of the seed bank. Common rushes such as Juncus canadensis and J. filiformis , were not well represented in the adult vegetation (5% of the standing crop and litter) but were abundant in the seed bank (52% of all seeds). Seed densities were on average, much lower on an intensely disturbed shoreline (1000 seeds/m 2 ), where heavy all‐terrain vehicle traffic had destroyed the adult vegetation. These results suggest that intense disturbances will destroy both existing vegetation and the seed bank and moderate disturbances will alter community composition so that common rushes will replace already endangered Atlantic coastal plain species.