1 Seed banks are dynamic entities, with input occurring through dispersal a
nd loss occurring through germination and various sources of mortality. Mea
sures of abundance of seeds in the soil at one point in time cannot disting
uish those seeds destined to germinate or die in the next growing season fr
om those entering the long-term seed bank, and cannot therefore reveal the
proportion of seeds that are carried over from year to year.
2 We studied seed bank dynamics in a 2.5-ha deciduous forest gap by followi
ng the fate of a single year's cohort of seeds over 2 years. Seed input for
1 year, subsequent in situ germination and survivorship were measured at 6
0 locations. We examined how temporal changes in seed bank composition were
affected by the presence of the dominant gap colonizing species Rubus alle
gheniensis.
3 Over the course of 2 years, both mean seed density and its variance decli
ned. The temporal changes in density were not, however, accompanied by dete
ctable changes in diversity.
4 Three species (R. allegheniensis, Phytolacca americana and Paulownia tome
ntosa) dominated the seed bank. Seed bank accumulation patterns in Rubus an
d Phytolacca showed contrasting responses to the presence of Rubus, with Ph
ytolacca excluded from seed banks in such patches through reduced input and
increased mortality.
5 First year germination and post-dispersal mortality interact with seed in
put to influence the spatial distribution of density and diversity in the l
ong-term seed bank. Substantial long-term seed banks do form within tempera
te forest gaps and patterns of above-ground vegetation can have substantial
effects on their dynamics.