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The seed bank of Eupatorium odoratum along a successional gradient in a tropical rain forest in Ghana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Gary A. Epp
Gary A. Epp
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Botany, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
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Abstract

The germinable seed bank of the colonizing weed Eupatorium odoratum was studied at the University of Ghana's Agricultural Research Station, near Kade. Five sites representing different successional stages were selected: a closed-canopy forest; intermittent-canopy forest; secondary forest; agricultural land; and a burnt forest. Twenty-five soil samples (each 500 cm3; 10×10×5 cm) were taken at random in each site, to be used for germination experiments. The secondary forest site had significantly more seeds of Eupatorium odoratum (8428 seeds per m2) than any of the other four sites. In this site Eupatorium odoratum constituted 81% of the total seed bank and had significantly more rapid germination of seeds than any other species. The results indicate that the existence of a soil seed bank may depend on: (1) time allowed for seed accumulation; (2) habitat accessibility to dispersing seeds; (3) the type of disturbance that occurs in an area; (4) dispersal capabilities of colonizing species; and (5) the history of the species′ distribution in the area.

Keywords

emergence rateEupatorium odoratumGhanarain forestseed banksuccession
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , May 1987 , pp. 139 - 149
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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