Comparison of aboveground vegetation and soil seed bank composition at sites of different grazing intensity around a savanna-woodland watering point in West Africa

Plant biomass and seed production of the legumes Aeschynomeme histrix and Stylosanthes hamata and the potential of endozoochory by cattle and sheep in semi-arid native pastures

Endozoochory is a substantial vector for seed dispersal and plays an important role in vegetation dynamics, mainly in colonisation processes through seed input to the vegetation and soil seed bank. We investigated the endozoochorous seed input by cattle and sheep on a pasture located in the western region of Burkina Faso. Through germination experiments, we assessed viable seed content of the dung of these grazing animals to estimate their suitability and efficiency for seed dispersal of fodder legumes. Cattle and sheep were daily fed seeds of Sthylosanthes hamata and Aeschynomene histrix, mixed with cotton seed cake. Faeces containing seeds of both legumes were collected 24 h after feeding. One part of faeces samples was spread in buckets of soil for direct germination in the greenhouse to evaluate germinating seed content. To improve pastures, a randomized completed design with 6 replications was conducted with both legumes and phosphorus fertilization (0 and 100 kg/ha of P2O5) and year as experimental factors. Recovery of A. histrix seeds was better than that of S. hamata with cattle (18 and 9%, respectively) compared to sheep. Seed recovered from faeces had higher germination with sheep than cattle. Thus, S. hamata seed recovered from faeces germinated well (12 and 45% with cattle and sheep, respectively, than fresh seeds used as control. However, A. histrix's seeds recovered from faeces germinated less than control (P < 0.001). The findings confirmed that ruminants could be used for targeted legume seed dispersal in natural pastures. A. histrix and S. hamata have high potential for plant biomass and seed production when phosphorus is applied. Seed ingestion by ruminants should be undertaken for improving natural pastures in semi-arid zones as lower cost practice.

Low-cost adaptation options to support green growth in agriculture, water resources, and coastal zones

The regional climate as it is now and in the future will put pressure on investments in sub-Saharan Africa in water resource management, fisheries, and other crop and livestock production systems. Changes in oceanic characteristics across the Atlantic Ocean will result in remarkable vulnerability of coastal ecology, littorals, and mangroves in the middle of the twenty-first century and beyond. In line with the countries' objectives of creating a green economy that allows reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved resource efficiency, and prevention of biodiversity loss, we identify the most pressing needs for adaptation and the best adaptation choices that are also clean and affordable. According to empirical data from the field and customized model simulation designs, the cost of these adaptation measures will likely decrease and benefit sustainable green growth in agriculture, water resource management, and coastal ecosystems, as hydroclimatic hazards such as pluviometric and thermal extremes become more common in West Africa. Most of these adaptation options are local and need to be scaled up and operationalized for sustainable development. Governmental sovereign wealth funds, investments from the private sector, and funding from global climate funds can be used to operationalize these adaptation measures. Effective legislation, knowledge transfer, and pertinent collaborations are necessary for their success.

Soil seedbank: Importance for revegetation in the water level fluctuation zone of the reservoir area

Vegetation succession in the water level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) is driven by periodical water fluctuations, the mechanisms of response and synergistic evolution between aboveground vegetation (AGV) and soil seed bank (SSB) in the WLFZ remain unclear. To illustrate the response between AGV and SSB and the importance of SSB for revegetation in the WLFZ, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) was taken as the target in the current study, and five sampling sites that lie in the center of reservoir and major tributaries of the TGR were selected. Plant community survey along the three water level gradients (i.e., 165-170 m, 170-175 m and 175-180 m) was conducted. Simultaneously, SSB samples on the topsoil (0-5 cm) were collected for germination experiments. A total of forty-nine species were observed from the SSB, belonging to 24 families and 47 genera, of which Asteraceae (8 species) and Poaceae (6 species) dominated. The number of total germinated seedlings species from soil samples from the sampling sites differed, i.e., was lower in Fengjie and Wushan compared to Yunyang, Gaoyang and Fengdu. The seed density in 165-170 m was significantly lower than that of 170-175 m and 175-180 m (p < 0.05). The Sørensen similarity coefficients between AGV and SSB tended to decrease with the increase of water level gradient, ranging from 0.04 to 0.42. SSB species composition was significantly associated with total carbon and total nitrogen contents of the soil (both p < 0.05). The SSB density was significantly negatively correlated with concentration of soil total nitrogen (p < 0.05), the species richness of SSB was significantly negatively correlated with soil pH value (p < 0.05). Hence, the relationship between the SSB and the soil habitat might be an important factor driving the construction of vegetation in the WLFZ. The correlation between dynamic of SSB and TGR hydrological regimes should be considered for revegetation in the WLFZ.

Prediction of soil seed bank of piedmont and alluvial environments of Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan

The current focus is on the overall pattern of seed storage present in the fragments of the soil of piedmont and alluvial landscapes of the environment. The present study predicted the seed banks of both soils of alluvial and piedmont zones in different ecological conditions and evaluate the potential of seeds in the restoration of both environments. The composition of the seed bank of soil is mainly affected by the alluvial environment and the structure of cleared area shows that more species of germinating annual grasses and growable seeds with the higher total number. Extant vegetation structures have an important role in the diversity of soil seed reservoirs, whose composition corresponded with the openness of the site. When in situ soil seed bank is recruited, it helps to restore only some components of the plant community in an alluvial environment. In our current research, it was confirmed that seed richness was higher in number at lower elevation (alluvial) than that at high elevation (piedmont). Seed richness showed a significant negative correlation with anions, cations, while significantly positive with altitude that suggests the richness pattern of the overall seed bank of the area is influenced by various environmental factors.

Effect of sheep grazing on seed circulation on the Loess Plateau

In grazing ecosystems, mature seeds fall directly to the soil to form the soil seed bank (SSB), or are ingested by grazing livestock to become part of the dung seed bank (DSB; i.e., seed circulation). Both the SSB and DSB form the basis for the natural regeneration of vegetation. However, little is known about the relationships between the SSB, DSB, and aboveground vegetation (AGV) community under different stocking rates (SRs). This study investigated the relationships between the SSB, seeds in Tan sheep (Ovis aries) dung, and AGV at different SRs (0, 2.7, 5.3, and 8.7 sheep ha-1) in a semiarid region of the Loess Plateau in China. We found that Tan sheep grazing increased the species richness heterogeneity of grassland vegetation, and negatively influenced the density of AGV. Under natural conditions, 17 species from soil-borne seeds and 10 species from Tan sheep dung germinated. There was low species similarity between the soil and DSBs and AGV. Sheep SR and the seed banks (soil and dung) were negatively correlated with AGV. Seeds are cycled from herbage to livestock to soil during cold season grazing; the seasonal nature of this seed dispersal is an adaptation to harsh, semiarid environments. Increased seed bank diversity under sheep grazing facilitates grassland regeneration on the Loess Plateau, similarly to other semiarid regions globally.

Natural regeneration triggers compositional and functional shifts in soil seed banks

Secondary forests emerging during traditional shifting cultivation practices are increasingly recognized for their fulfillment of ecosystem services and mitigation potential of climate change and biodiversity losses. The soil seed bank as a recruit reservoir is a limiting factor for natural forest regeneration of such secondary forests and is decisive for the formation and restitution of the post-disturbance community. The aim of this study was to compare the composition of the soil seed bank along a natural regeneration chronosequence from the Caxiuanã National Forest, eastern Amazon, including old-growth reference sites. We sampled standing vegetation, soil properties and soil seed banks and compared the density and species richness of different life forms among different regeneration stages. Using nonmetric, multiple scaling, we compared the composition of the soil seed bank among different regeneration stages and with standing vegetation composition. Furthermore, we outlined the influence of stand age, vegetation structure and soil properties on the density, richness and functional characterization of the soil seed bank using mixed effect models. The soil seed bank was dominated by herb seeds in all regeneration stages, and the density and richness of tree seeds increased with regeneration time and recovery of vegetation structure. Seed bank composition changed gradually with regeneration advance and differed from standing vegetation, containing a high amount of allochthonous seeds, especially in older stands. This observation highlights the importance of dispersal and habitat connectivity for the natural regeneration of these secondary forests. Shifts in soil seed bank composition towards slow-growing, animal-dispersed, non-pioneer species with larger, recalcitrant seeds in older regeneration stands indicate changes in vegetation composition along succession. Thus, our data indicate the importance of connectivity for forest regeneration and long fallow periods (> 40 years) to increase the performance of ecosystem services, resilience and stability of secondary forests arising during shifting cultivation practices.