Richness and Abundance of Soil Seed Bank in Different Agroecosystems in Central Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

The soil seed bank is key to plant succession. However, agricultural activities have had a great impact on the vegetation and its composition. The aim was to determine the soil seed bank in different grazing agroecosystems in the central part of Veracruz state, Mexico. Richness, abundance, diversity, equity, dominance and similarity of the species were quantified and compared among four agroecosystems (silvopastoral, pasture-trees, traditional grazing, and Acahual or secondary vegetation) in Veracruz, Mexico during the year 2017. Samples were collected. of soil at two depths (0-5, > 5-10 cm). A statistical difference was found in the seed bank (P 0.05). Similarity was greater than 50% at all sites and increased with soil depth. The evidence suggests that the greatest diversity of the seed bank was in silvopastoral from 0 to 5 cm deep. The seed bank has potential for the restoration of vegetation, mainly herbaceous, and can promote the development of shrubs and trees, despite the management of cattle ranching sites.

Keywords

• disturbance
• paddock
• pasture
• plant succession
• restoration