Relationship between Distribution of Soil Seed Bank and Environmental Factors in Lakeshore Wetlands,Taihu Lake,China

In order to analyze the spatial pattern of soil seed bank and its relation to environmental factors in lakeshore wetlands in Taihu Lake region,4 different sites in the lakeshore wetlands(A site at fleabane zone;B site at bush and grass zone;C site at crop zone;D site at natural reed zone) were established.Seed germination experiment was carried out and ordination technique(canonical correspondence analysis) was used in the study area.The results showed that totally 21 species(7 families) germinated from the seed banks.The seed bank density of 4 sites(A,B,C,and D sites)was(3 120 ± 1 581) ind./m2,(14 800 ± 5 049) ind./m2,(4 080 ± 1 760) ind./m2and(3 600 ± 2 882) ind./m2,respectively.With the deepening of the soil,the soil seed bank density of the vertical distribution showed a downward trend.Soil p H,soil moisture content,electric conductance,vegetation cover and soil bulk density all influenced the distribution of soil seed banks.Overall,soil moisture content had the greatest impact on the soil seed bank in lakeshore wetlands in Taihu Lake region.