Evaluation of diversity of soil seed bank for Restoration of vegetation in succession patterns in semi steppe rang lands of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari province

This study aimed to investigate the changes in the soil seed banks density and species Number  in various stages of succession (plowing land and leaving) and aimed to investigate the similarity between above ground vegetation and soil seed bank in the semi-steppe rangelands in Karsanak located. In winter of 2012, the key succession areas (3-5, 15-10 and >25 years and a control area (pasture)) were selected and soil samples were collected from two depths 0-5 and 5-10 cm in 5 plot established along transects based on systematic random method. Above ground vegetation was also studied and recorded in the next growth season, (2013) in each plot. General Linear Model was applied to compare the species density and species Number  of the soil seed bank and in the succession series (plowing). Indicator Species Analysis (ISA) was used to determine the index species in the each steps of the sequence. Detrended Corespondance Analaysis (DCA) was used for separating the species groups of the each step. The results showed that the various stages of succession have significantly effects on the soil seed banks density and species Number. Results of DCA analysis and ISA analysis revealed that classification of plant communities on the basis of the above ground vegetation dataset led to forming distinguishable and separate groups whereas the soil seed bank dataset, since it was generally composed of pioneer plant species, could not display distinct plant communities.