Buried seed populations in the montane, subalpine, and alpine belts of Mont Jacques-Cartier, Quebec

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Botany
• Main Authors: Morin, Hubert, Payette, Serge
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1988
• Subjects: Plant Science; Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b88-015; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b88-015

The analysis of the total buried seed population along an altitudinal gradient in the Mont Jacques-Cartier area, southern Quebec, reveals a close relationship between buried seed flora and aboveground vegetation. Eighty-one percent of the species present in the total buried seed population were present in the aboveground vegetation of the study sites. The total number of seeds in the buried seed population, the number of species in the total buried seed population, and the number of seeds and species in the seed bank did not show any significant linear correlation with altitude. A shift from a boreal to an arctic–alpine buried seed population with increasing altitude was observed, instead of a decrease in seed bank size.