XVI International Botanical Congess
The relationship between seed persistence in the soil and various forms of disturbance (broadly 'management') has been intensively studied. In contrast, the effects of soil fertility and climate on seed persistence have hardly been studied at all until quite recently. One reason for this lack of attention is that both can have quite dramatic indirect effects on soil seed banks, via effects on plant community composition. In contrast, direct effects may be much more subtle and their elucidation requires specific, long-term experiments. Here I pull together the little information available, and show that it is quite difficult to demonstrate the experimental effect of soil moisture, mineral nutrients or temperature on seed persistence. Nevertheless, some indirect evidence suggests that the subject is certainly worth pursuing.