M. Komulainen et al., SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT FROM SEEDS AND SEED BANKS IN FORESTS UNDER LONG-TERM POLLUTION STRESS - A POTENTIAL FOR VEGETATION RECOVERY, Canadian journal of botany, 72(2), 1994, pp. 143-149
Seed germinability of some common dwarf shrubs and seed-bank compositi
on were studied in young pine forests along a pollution gradient from
Severonickel smelter in Monchegorsk, northern Russia. Samples for seed
germination and seedbank trials were taken from sites representing di
fferent zones of pollution. Generally, germinability of dwarf shrub se
eds was not affected by distance from pollution source, except for Emp
etrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum. The average density per site of seed
lings that emerged from seed-bank samples varied between 278 and 416 s
eedlings/m(2). Empetrum nigrum sap. hermaphroditum and Betula sp. domi
nated in seed banks. Calluna vulgaris was also numerous at one site. A
s a whole, seedbank taxa were well represented in the above ground veg
etation. There were no significant differences in seedling density bet
ween sites for dominant taxa. Our results indicate that seeds can reta
in viability even under a heavy pollution load and thus form a potenti
al for vegetation recovery in polluted sites.