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Local seed rain and seed bank in a species-rich grassland: effects of plant abundance and seed size

In this study, we examined the relationship between seed size, seed rain, and seed bank in a species-rich perennial grassland in Sweden. The seed rain was monitored by 100 seed traps placed in a 10 m x 10 m area for 1 year. The seed bank was sampled by taking 100 soil samples, each in close vicinity to a seed trap. Abundance of reproductive ramets in the area was estimated, since this is likely to affect the proportion of hit seed traps and seed bank samples. When abundance of reproductive ramets was accounted for, we found a negative relationship between seed size and proportion of hit seed bank samples, but we found no relationship between seed size and proportion of hit seed traps. We found strong positive relationships between the abundance of reproductive ramets and proportion of hit seed traps and seed bank samples. We also found strong positive relationships between abundance of reproductive ramets and abundance of seeds in the seed rain and the seed bank, but no relationship between seed size and abundance of seeds in the seed rain or the seed bank. We discuss these results in the context of theory suggesting that large-seeded and small-seeded species may coexist because of a trade-off between colonization and competitive abilities, where smaller-seeded species are able to reach more sites than seeds of larger-seeded species, because they are more numerous and (or) better dispersed. (Less)