Dynamics of Soil-Stored Seed Banks of Six Shrubs in Fire-Prone Dune Fynbos

Soil-stored seed banks of six non-sprouting dominant shrubs with small seeds (0.4-4.6 mg) were determined in three mature (13 year-old) dune fynbos communities each autumn for 3 successive years. A comparison of methods of estimating seed banks by counting seeds vs. counting germinants showed neither method to be superior; a knowledge of other life-history characteristics, such as seed input and germination cues, was essential in evaluating results. Instead of the large seed bank typical of shrubs from fire-prone vegetation, dune fynbos shrubs had relatively small seed banks : the highest mean seed density recorded was 825±1187 seed m −2 (mean±1S.D., n=50) (...)