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Accumulated soil seed bank of the invasive sand dropseed ( Sporobolus cryptandrus ) poses a challenge for its suppression.
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  • Péter TÖRÖK,
  • Francis David ESPINOZA AMI,
  • Katalin SZÉL-TÓTH,
  • Patrícia DÍAZ CANDO,
  • Luis Roberto GUALLICHICO SUNTAXI,
  • Andrea MCINTOSH-BUDAY,
  • Alida Anna HÁBENCZYUS,
  • Viktória TÖRŐ-SZIJGYÁRTÓ,
  • Gergely KOVACSICS-VÁRI,
  • Csaba TÖLGYESI,
  • Béla TÓTHMÉRÉSZ,
  • Judit SONKOLY
Péter TÖRÖK
Debreceni Egyetem

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Francis David ESPINOZA AMI
Debreceni Egyetem
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Katalin SZÉL-TÓTH
Debreceni Egyetem
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Patrícia DÍAZ CANDO
Debreceni Egyetem
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Luis Roberto GUALLICHICO SUNTAXI
Debreceni Egyetem
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Andrea MCINTOSH-BUDAY
Debreceni Egyetem
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Alida Anna HÁBENCZYUS
Szegedi Tudomanyegyetem
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Viktória TÖRŐ-SZIJGYÁRTÓ
Debreceni Egyetem
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Gergely KOVACSICS-VÁRI
Debreceni Egyetem
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Csaba TÖLGYESI
Szegedi Tudomanyegyetem
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Béla TÓTHMÉRÉSZ
Debreceni Egyetem
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Judit SONKOLY
Debreceni Egyetem
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Abstract

Global warming, elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, and increased likeliness of extreme drought and wildfires in many regions will likely favour C4 grass species. We explored the effect of the encroachment of an invasive perennial C4 grass, Sporobolus cryptandrus on the composition of soil seed banks in dry sand grasslands in Central Europe. In five mass-locality sites of the species we assessed the composition and vertical segmentation of the soil seed bank in twelve 1-m 2 plots along an increasing cover of the invasive species. We found that the seed bank diversity and density decrease with the increasing sampling depth; the decrease of density is affected by the increasing Sporobolus cover. Neither the diversity nor the seed bank density of other species were affected by increasing Sporobolus cover but, affected by the sampling site. Most of the studied seed bank characteristics were affected by the sampling depth, but none of them were affected by the increasing cover of Sporobolus. Increasing cover of Sporobolus in the vegetation was associated with an increasing proportion of Sporobolus seeds in the seed bank, and we found viable seeds of the species in the soil even in plots with no Sporobolus cover. Given that a decrease in the precipitation of the summer months and an increase in the frequency of droughts is projected in this region, we expect that the accumulated massive seed bank of Sporobolus will facilitate the further rapid spread of the species.
22 Jul 2023Submitted to Land Degradation & Development
22 Jul 2023Submission Checks Completed
22 Jul 2023Assigned to Editor
25 Jul 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
25 Jul 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
19 Apr 20241st Revision Received
22 Apr 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
02 Jun 2024Editorial Decision: Accept