The effects of three years of fencing enclosure on soil seed banks and the relationship with above-ground vegetation of degraded alpine grasslands of the Tibetan plateau

• Published in: Plant and soil Vol. 364; no. 1/2; pp. 229 - 244
• Main Authors: Shang, Zhan-Huan, Deng, Bin, Ding, Lu-Ming, Ren, Guo-Hua, Xin, Guo-Sheng, Liu, Zhi-Yun, Wang, Yan-Long, Long, Rui-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.03.2013; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Alpine ecosystems; Alpine grasslands; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Banks (Finance); Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; buried seeds; China; Ecology; Environmental restoration; fences; Fencing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Grassland soils; Grasslands; Land degradation; Life Sciences; Meadows; Plant growth; Plant Physiology; Plant populations; Plant Sciences; Plants; Regular Article; Seed banks; seed extracts; Seeds; Soil composition; soil density; soil sampling; Soil science; Soil Science & Conservation; Soil seed banks; Soil structure; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Soils; Species composition; species diversity; Vegetation; Vegetation cover; Central Asia; Asia; Tibetan Plateau; China, People's Rep., Xizang, Tibetan Plateau; China; Degradation; Fencing enclosure; Tibetan plateau; Soil seed bank; Restoration; Aalpine grassland; Grassland; Enclosure; Alpine grasslands; Alpine vegetation; Soils; Tibetan Plateau; Seed bank; Fence; Soil plant relation
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1007/s11104-012-1362-9

Background and Aims Fenced enclosures have become an important method for re-establishing degraded grassland on the Tibetan plateau, and examination of soil seed banks may provide useful insights to understanding the effects and mechanisms of fencing enclosure on the restoration. Methods An investigation was conducted into the effects of enclosure for 3 years on the soil seed banks of degraded natural and sown grasslands at eight study sites. Species composition, soil seed bank density and the relationships with above-ground vegetation were analysed based on 4800 soil core samples and counting of seeds extracted from soil samples. Results After 3 years of fencing enclosure, soil seed banks differed between the different communities across the study sites. Species numbers and seed density in soil seed banks decreased from natural grassland to sown grassland, with most seeds occurring in the upper 5 cm soil layer. In these alpine grasslands, relatively few species produced high numbers of seeds, although their occurrence across the eight study sites was variable. Total vegetation cover increased with enclosure due to the colonization capacity of the vegetation rather than soil seed banks. Conclusions This study provided evidence that soil seed banks do not play an important role in the restoration of degraded alpine grassland when using fencing enclosures. Further studies conducted over longer periods are needed to address this subject.