Absence of tree seeds impedes shrubland succession in southern China

Zou C., . and Wang J., . and Ren H., . and Duan W. J., . Absence of tree seeds impedes shrubland succession in southern China. pp. 210-217. ISSN 0128-1283

Change in landuse in southern China has resulted in the abandonment of over 40 million ha of degraded grazing pasture and cultivated farmland which have consequently converted to shrubland. Shrubland has low economic value and provides limited ecosystem services but is now the dominant vegetation in three provinces of southern China. Effective management of such shrubland ecosystem requires improved understanding of many ecological factors including sources of viable seeds in the soil seed bank and the interaction between the seed bank and the current vegetation. We investigated the soil seed bank in a shrubland using a seedling germination assay and compared the species composition in the seed bank with vegetation community using Sorensens coefficient. While total seed bank density in the shrubland was high the Sorensens coefficient and species richness in the soil seed bank were low. The soil seed bank was mainly dominated by grass and shrub species; no pine or other indigenous tree seeds were detected. Our findings suggest that the limited seed source of tree species is one of the primary factors slowing or stopping secondary succession in southern China. Direct planting of tree seedlings may facilitate secondary succession in the severely degraded shrublands.

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Abstract

Change in landuse in southern China has resulted in the abandonment of over 40 million ha of degraded grazing pasture and cultivated farmland which have consequently converted to shrubland. Shrubland has low economic value and provides limited ecosystem services but is now the dominant vegetation in three provinces of southern China. Effective management of such shrubland ecosystem requires improved understanding of many ecological factors including sources of viable seeds in the soil seed bank and the interaction between the seed bank and the current vegetation. We investigated the soil seed bank in a shrubland using a seedling germination assay and compared the species composition in the seed bank with vegetation community using Sorensens coefficient. While total seed bank density in the shrubland was high the Sorensens coefficient and species richness in the soil seed bank were low. The soil seed bank was mainly dominated by grass and shrub species; no pine or other indigenous tree seeds were detected. Our findings suggest that the limited seed source of tree species is one of the primary factors slowing or stopping secondary succession in southern China. Direct planting of tree seedlings may facilitate secondary succession in the severely degraded shrublands.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Seed
AGROVOC Term:	Shrublands
AGROVOC Term:	Land use
AGROVOC Term:	Pastures
AGROVOC Term:	Grazing lands
AGROVOC Term:	Farmland
AGROVOC Term:	Ecosystems
AGROVOC Term:	Vegetation
AGROVOC Term:	Soil seed banks
AGROVOC Term:	Seed germination
Depositing User:	Ms. Suzila Mohamad Kasim
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 06:27
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/21679

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