Regenerative potential and functional composition of soil seed bank in remnant evergreen broad-ieaved forests under contrasting urbanization level, south China

摘要

Evergreen broad-leaved forests play a great role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in subtropical China (Ding et al 2004). However, currently they are threatened by urban sprawl, leading to isolation, low biodiversity, and inadequate ecosystem services. Soil seed bank can act as an important source in forest regeneration, and the information on the seed bank composition is of vital importance for determining the resilience of plant communities (Wang et al 2010). Our main objective was to contribute to a better knowledge of soil seed bank in the remnant natural forests within the urban settings, and to assess the influence of urbanization on seed bank composition and its relationship with aboveground vegetation.