Seed and spore banks of two boreal mires

Abstract

The importance of the seed bank as a regenerative strategy in disturbed mires and the viability of seeds and spores in peat stratigraphy on two drained mires were studied prior to restoration. Most of the seedlings developed from the surface sample but still viable seeds occurred in the deepest layer sampled (50 cm). Germination from seeds, however, remained low. Six species of vascular plants: Betula pubescens Ehrh., Eriophorum vaginatum L., Rubus chamaemorus L., Vaccinium myrtillus L., V. uliginosum L., and Andromeda polifolia L. with a maximum of 367 seedlings per m germinated. The regenerative strategy of these plants seems to be vegetative expansion from adventitious roots and buried propagules rather than germination from seeds. It was found, however, that some seeds in the peat profile may preserve their viability for centuries.