Fire, Buried Germinable Seed Banks and Grass Species Establishment in an Urban Eucalypt Forest Reserve

Abstract

The buried germinable seed banks of two natural contrasting savanna open-forest sites were investigated before and after a wildfire. It was found that while the number of buried germinable grass and sedge seeds remained the same, the number of buried germinable dicotyledon seeds in both sites increased after the fire. It was also found that there were similar species of grasses present in the buried germinable seed banks before and after the fire. When germinating grass seedlings in the burnt and unburnt sites were compared, similar species of grasses were found in the germinating seedlings at both sites; however, more grass seedlings germinated in the burnt site than in the unburnt site.