Land use alters soil propagule banks of wetlands down the soil-depth profile
Samantha K. Dawson A B F , Jane A. Catford C , Peter Berney D , Richard T. Kingsford B and Samantha Capon E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7007, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
B Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biology, Earth and Environmental Science, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
C Department of Geography, King’s College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK.
D NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia.
E Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: samantha.k.dawson@gmail.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 71(2) 191-201 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18438
Submitted: 14 November 2018 Accepted: 21 March 2019 Published: 22 May 2019
Abstract
Many studies have investigated the effects of human disturbances on floodplain propagule banks, but few have examined how these propagule banks change down the soil depth profile. Changes in soil propagule banks with depth can indicate the state of past vegetation and potentially demonstrate the effects of different land uses on the soil profile. Here, we examined changes in soil propagule banks down the soil-depth profile in an Australian floodplain wetland with five different land-use histories, ranging from a, in this case, relatively minor disturbance (clearing) through to more major disturbance (continuous cultivation). Land use had a larger influence than floodplain geomorphology on the propagule distribution of wetland plant-group numbers. An observed decrease in individuals over the depth profile also altered terrestrial plant groups in fields with longer land-use histories. Overall, soil-propagule profiles for terrestrial plants were not as affected by land use as were those of wetland plants. The geomorphological position on the floodplain also altered the soil propagule bank, with areas subject to the most flooding having the highest number of wetland species and retaining more of these species with greater depths. In conclusion, land-use impacts alter soil-propagule banks down the profile, despite most studies focussing on the top few centimetres.
Additional keywords: agriculture, flood frequency, floodplain wetland, restoration, seed.
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