XVI International Botanical Congess

Seed banks play a significant role in determining the spatial and temporal distribution of halophytes in unpredictable salt marsh habitats that are exposed to periods of salinity stress and flooding. When conditions for germination are not favorable, seeds of the most salt tolerant halophytes will remain ungerminated in the soil and produce a temporary or persistent seed bank. In inland salt marshes where hypersaline conditions frequently occur, seed banks may be as large as 500,000 seeds per square meter. Some perennial halophytes that dominate coastal marshes do not have a persistent seed bank while other species do produce seed banks. Annual halophytes have a single opportunity to reproduce and seed banks are significant in determining their spatial and temporal distribution.