REGENERATION OF MONSOON RAIN-FOREST IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA - THE DORMANT SEED BANK

As part of a wider study examining regeneration pathways in monsoon ra in forest vegetation in northern Australia, the dormant component of t he soil seed bank was assessed by storing soil samples for over six dr y season months, before watering in shade-house trials. Six soil sampl es were collected from each of 34 sites broadly representative of the range of regional monsoon rain forest vegetation. Four floristic seed bank groups were derived through TWINSPAN classification. Mean group d ensities of germinants ranged from 25-144/M2. Dormant seed banks were least dense, and most sparsely distributed, in sandy soils. Seed bank samples were dominated by woody pioneer monsoon rain forest species, e specially figs; exotic weeds and savanna taxa (e.g. Poaceae) were rela tively more common at seasonally dry sites. Dormant seed banks compris ed species mostly present in the standing vegetation, although a small number of germinants represented species not growing at half the site s. Regeneration of woody pioneers from dormant seed banks is least lik ely to be of importance on infertile, seasonally dry sites.