Dynamics and ecological strategies of aerial seed bank of main species in the hill-gully Loess Plateau

Delayed seed dispersal, leading to form an aerial seed bank, is one way to deal with disturbances in the special environment. Previous studies on aerial seed bank have focused on the fire-prone and arid desert habitats. However, there are few studies on aerial seed storage in the eroded slope habits, where lack of available soil water due to low soil water holding capacity caused by water erosion and drought. The dynamics of aerial seed banks, the seed germination and viability characteristics of 12 main species were studied in the hill-gully Loess Plateau, then the aerial seed bank strategies were analyzed which adapt the disturbances in the study region. The aerial seed bank types of some species varied as the environmental condition changed, which indicated that the aerial seed bank dynamics of some species had variability. Thus, more studies should be done in this field.