The Soil Seed Bank and Its Relationship to the Aboveground Vegetation in a Sandy Floodplain

초록

This study compared the species compositions between soil seed bank and extant vegetation in the major herbaceous communities of a sand stream, the Cheongmi Stream. From seedling emergence trials, the largest number of species (21 species) was present in the Artemisia selengerIsis community, with the lowest number (2 species) in the Rorippa islQndica community. Most soil seed banks composed of annuals (48%) and biennials (43%) except for Rumex crispus and Artemisa princeps var. orientalis which are perennials but even ruderals. There were distinct diHerences in the f1oristic compositions between seed bank of soil and aboveground vegetation. Existing dominant perennial plants of extant vegetations were not found in soil seed bank. The number of seedlings gent1irlated from the clear-cut site of Phragmites japonica increased compared with the vegetated control site. It was believed that removal of aboveground shoots due to various disturbances could trigger genninations of some ruderal plants. In conclusion, the floodplain seed bank was main1y composed of seeds of ruderal plants which could be germinated rapidly after a severe disturbance.