Spatial and temporal patterns in the seed bank and vegetation of a desert grassland community

(1) Plant and seed temporal and spatial patterns, and the correlation between vegetation and seed bank were examined from 150 samples collected from an 8-ha site in a desert grassland community in north-central New Mexico, U.S.A. (2) Total plant cover increased through the growing season, but relative cover of all species except three annuals remained constant. Spatial pattern of the vegetation was patchy, but species associations within the vegetation patches were weak. (3) Species composition of the seed bank was similar to the vegetation (88.9% concordance) and, like the vegetation, seeds were patchily distributed with little evidence of pattern at the species level. Relative seed densities varied little through the growing season and were positively correlated with cover for the same species. (4) High correlation between the seed bank and vegetation are postulated to be a consequence of frequent and unpredictable disturbance, but may further be promoted by the effects of seed predation on seed bank turnover rates.