Soil seed banks (SSBs) are fundamental resources in terrestrial ecosystems for conserving biodiversity and facilitating the sustainable restoration and long-term stability of ecosystems. As the “genetic and propagule bank” of aboveground plant communities, SSBs play a crucial role in ecosystem regeneration and recovery after disturbances. This study employs a literature review methodology, focusing on the period from 2000 to 2025, and identifies 186 high-quality, peer-reviewed empirical articles. It systematically summarizes the phased advancements in this field, addressing research areas, subjects, technical methods, and conclusions. The analysis specifically highlights the fundamental limitations and deficiencies inherent in traditional research methods, experimental designs, study scales, and theoretical applications. A comprehensive analysis indicates substantial advancement in clarifying the distribution patterns, density dynamics, and response mechanisms of SSBs to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. This study systematically reviews the assessment methods for SSBs (germination trials, physical separation and extraction, and molecular identification) and integrates their spatial heterogeneity in various ecosystems and their response patterns to natural and anthropogenic drivers. Additionally, this study identifies existing research gaps and recommends priority research directions for future investigations. We contend that research on SSBs should be closely integrated with global change ecology, restoration ecology and data science. It holds irreplaceable strategic importance for addressing the escalating global biodiversity crisis, improving the functions and resilience of ecosystem services, and promoting the sustainable management of ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.