Global patterns of potential future plant diversity hidden in soil seed banks

Soil seed banks represent a critical but hidden stock for potential future plant diversity on Earth. Here we compiled and analyzed a global dataset consisting of 15,698 records of species diversity and density for soil seed banks in natural plant communities worldwide to quantify their environmental...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Nature communications 2021-12, Vol.12 (1), p.7023-7023, Article 7023
Main Authors:	Yang, Xuejun, Baskin, Carol C, Baskin, Jerry M, Pakeman, Robin J, Huang, Zhenying, Gao, Ruiru, Cornelissen, Johannes H C
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Altitude Biodiversity Databases, Factual Datasets Ecosystem Ecosystems Environmental conditions Latitude Models, Statistical Net Primary Productivity Plant communities Plant Dispersal - physiology Plant diversity Plant populations Plants - classification Productivity Rainforests Resilience Seed Bank Seed banks Seeds Seeds - classification Seeds - physiology Soil Soil characteristics Soil density Soil sciences Soils Species diversity Tropical forests Vegetation
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Summary:	Soil seed banks represent a critical but hidden stock for potential future plant diversity on Earth. Here we compiled and analyzed a global dataset consisting of 15,698 records of species diversity and density for soil seed banks in natural plant communities worldwide to quantify their environmental determinants and global patterns. Random forest models showed that absolute latitude was an important predictor for diversity of soil seed banks. Further, climate and soil were the major determinants of seed bank diversity, while net primary productivity and soil characteristics were the main predictors of seed bank density. Moreover, global mapping revealed clear spatial patterns for soil seed banks worldwide; for instance, low densities may render currently species-rich low latitude biomes (such as tropical rain-forests) less resilient to major disturbances. Our assessment provides quantitative evidence of how environmental conditions shape the distribution of soil seed banks, which enables a more accurate prediction of the resilience and vulnerabilities of plant communities and biomes under global changes.
ISSN:	2041-1723 2041-1723