Document: CHR-3-40-33

Spatial and depth variations in the soil seed bank of an inland salt marsh.

COTEFF, C.* and O.W.VAN AUKEN

University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA ¹

Abstract:
The Diamond Y Spring Preserve, an inland salt marsh located 15 km north of Ft. Stockton, Texas, is one of several locations where Helianthus paradoxus is found. Helianthus paradoxus is a locally abundant annual species but is geographically rare, occurring in several locations in New Mexico and in three locations in Texas. Little is known of the soil seed bank of this inland salt marsh. Seed banks are important to the re-establishment of flora after periods of unfavorable environmental conditions such as drought or fire, as well as from one growing season to the next. The Diamond Y Spring Preserve is dominated mainly by Distichlis spicata, Sporobulus airoides, Scirpus americanus and Helianthus paradoxus. Investigations determined the number and size of soil core samples that were needed to adequately sample the dominant communities of this inland salt marsh. The results showed that a sample size with an area of 0.1 m² and six cm in depth is sufficient to sample the soil seed bank in this salt marsh. The total estimated seed density is 928/m² for the Helianthus paradoxus community, 2.048/m² for the Distichlis spicata community and 1,152/m² for the Sporobulus airoides community.

Keywords: soil seed bank

This abstract is being presented at: 4:30 PM in session:
Oral Session #33: Plant Demography.