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Characteristics of the soil seed bank in Mediterranean temporary ponds and its role in ecosystem dynamics

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Abstract

Species in temporary ponds overcome periods of unfavorable weather conditions by building up a large seed bank. With this strategy, the species diversity of ponds is preserved and information on their dynamics and structure is retained. Little is known about the characteristics, spatial patterns and role in the vegetation dynamics of the soil seed banks of Mediterranean temporary ponds, which are regarded as priority habitats under protection. We studied two sites of western Crete: Omalos, a mountain plateau at 1,060 m a.s.l. and Elafonisos, located near the coast at 60 m a.s.l. The seed bank was surveyed along transects using the germination method. Aboveground vegetation was measured on quadrats along the same transects. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was run to define the zonation patterns. High density and species richness were recorded in both sites, with an average of 75,662 seeds/m2 found in Omalos and 22,941 seeds/m2 in Elafonisos. The community composition of both sites was remarkably different but in both locations perennial species were inconspicuous while annuals, prevailed in the seed banks. An important array of protected or rare species as well as several others which were absent from the vegetation were hosted in the soil seed banks, thereby rendering a low similarity between their composition. Soil seed banks in these ecosystems indicated a spatial heterogeneity that mirrored the aboveground vegetation distribution, sorted along the moisture gradient by their tolerance to flooding. Soil seed banks play a key role in the vegetation recovery after summer drought. The acts of preserving the soil seed bank and ensuring a transient flooding regime are essential to protect the unique vegetation communities of Mediterranean temporary ponds.

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Acknowledgments

The work presented in this paper was carried out in the framework of the LIFE-Nature project entitled “Actions for the Conservation of the Mediterranean Temporary Ponds in Crete” (LIFE04 NAT/GR/000105) and a scholarship granted to the first author by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece (MAICh-CIHEAM). Special thanks are expressed to Nikos Papadonakis for his advices on green house work. Thanks are also extended to the fellow researchers of the Herbarium at MAICh. Dr. Patrick Grillas and Dr. Erwin Bergmeier are thanked for their suggestions and fruitful interaction throughout this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Management, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Alsyllio Agrokepiou, P.O. Box 85, Chania, 73100, Crete, Greece

    Cristina Aponte, George Kazakis & Dany Ghosn

  2. Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville (IRNASE-CSIC), P.O. Box 1052, 41012, Seville, Spain

    Cristina Aponte

  3. Faculty of Forestry and Natural Environment, Laboratory of Rangeland Ecology, Aristotle University of Thesalonikki, GR 54124, Thesalonikki, Greece

    Vasilios P. Papanastasis

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  1. Cristina Aponte
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  2. George Kazakis
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  3. Dany Ghosn
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  4. Vasilios P. Papanastasis
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Correspondence to Cristina Aponte.

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Aponte, C., Kazakis, G., Ghosn, D. et al. Characteristics of the soil seed bank in Mediterranean temporary ponds and its role in ecosystem dynamics. Wetlands Ecol Manage 18, 243–253 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-009-9163-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-009-9163-5

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