New Zealand Journal of Botany abstract
Potential contributions of the seed rain and seed bank to regeneration of
native forest under plantation pine in New Zealand
ANGELA T. MOLES*
DONALD R. DRAKE
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
P.O. Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand
*Present address: School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie
University, NSW 2109, Australia.
Abstract The seed rain, seed bank, and vegetation were
studied in a Pinus radiata plantation destined for restoration to native
forest, in order to gain information on the vegetation dynamics and potential
future vegetation composition of this forest. A total of 1812 +/- 245 seeds
m-2 from 34 species fell in the seed rain between October 1996 and
May 1997. The seed bank had a density of 8841 +/- 1157 seeds m-2,
and contained at least 45 species. Alien species contributed 2% of the
seedlings and saplings, 6% of the adults, 9% of the seed rain, and 30% of the
seed bank, and accounted for 28 of the 69 species identified in this study. As
long as disturbance to the forest is minimal, native species can be expected to
dominate regeneration. However, only 30 species of seed plants were present as
seedlings, saplings, or adults, and several late-successional native species
have become locally extinct. The seed rain is a potential source of recruits
for these species (12 of the 34 species found in the seed rain were not present
in the vegetation), but some species will need to be actively reintroduced if
the forest is to be returned to its pre-human condition.
Keywords seed rain; seed bank; Karori Wildlife Sanctuary;
Pinus radiata plantation; secondary succession; forest community
dynamics; alien species; restoration
B98027
Received 8 May 1998; accepted 24 August 1998
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