土壤种子库研究的几个热点问题

土壤种子库是指存在于土壤表层凋落物和土壤中全部活性种子的总和。土壤中有活性的种子是植物群落的一部分,是新植株的来源。土壤种子库可以分为瞬时土壤种子库和持久土壤种子库。随着群落生态学的发展,土壤种子库的研究已经成为植物生态学重要的一部分,研究内容主要包括:(1)土壤种子库的组成和分布;(2)土壤种子库的动态;(3)地上植被与土壤种子库的关系;(4)干扰对土壤种子库的作用;(5)土壤种子库在生态恢复中的作用。文章在对目前土壤种子库的研究方法、主要研究内容方面总结的基础上,认为土壤种子库在合适的干扰作用下对退化生态系统的恢复以及植被更新发挥重要的作用,同时需进一步加强对这一过程中种子萌发、幼苗建立限制因素的研究。

The Hot topics and perspectives of soil seed bank research

The seed bank is the collection of viable seeds present in the soil and associated litter. Viable seeds buried in the soil are part of the plant community and a source of new individuals. Soil seed banks can be classified into transient and persistent ones. Re- search on soil seed banks has became an important part of plant ecology with the progressing of community ecology, and the major topics of such study include: (1) the composition and distribution of soil seed banks, (2) the dynamic of soil seed banks, (3) the rela- tionships between aboveground vegetation and soil seed banks, (4) the effects of disturbance on soil seed banks, and (5) the impor- tance of soil seed banks in ecological restoration. This paper reviews the methodologies and aspects of soil seed banks studies, and the results show that soil seed banks can be an important basis for regeneration of vegetation and restoring degraded ecosystem under proper disturbance; meanwhile, studies on limiting factors of seed germination and seedling recruitment are also needed. This paper can provide some basic data and information for future research on soil seed banks.