Kövendi-Jakó, Anna and Reis, Bruna Paolinelli and Szitár, Katalin and Török, Katalin and Sáradi, Nóra and Halász, Krisztián and Mojzes, Andrea and Halassy, Melinda (2026) Short-term seed banking enables adaptive, multi-year seeding strategies in grassland restoration. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, 67. No. e04156. ISSN 2351-9894
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Abstract
Ex situ seed banks can play a critical role in supporting grassland restoration and mitigating the impacts of climate change by ensuring a continuous supply of native seeds. We investigated the effects of short-term seed storage (fresh, one-, two-, and three-year storage) and seeding year (2011–2014) on the restoration of open sand grassland using accessions from the Pannon Seed Bank in Hungary. Seeds of ten native species were sown in an abandoned sandy field, and vegetation was monitored for up to nine growing seasons. Clear directional development toward the reference grassland became evident from the fifth year onward. Target species reached up to 90% relative cover, primarily due to the sown species, while non-target natives and neophytes declined. Differences among storage treatments were only transient, e.g. higher species richness when using fresh seeds, and by the end of the monitoring period all seed storage durations converged toward the reference community. In contrast, seeding year had a lasting influence: plots sown in years with favorable precipitation (e.g., 2013) showed stronger establishment of target species, while less favorable years (e.g., drought in 2012) constrained recovery. These yearspecific effects shaped both the long-term success of target species and invasion dynamics. Restoration outcomes were therefore more strongly influenced by seeding year than by storage duration, underscoring the need for adaptive restoration strategies tailored to year-specific conditions. We recommend multi-year, scheduled seeding as a buffer against adverse weather, supported by the short-term use of seed banks to ensure seed availability under variable climatic conditions.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | Funding Agency and Grant Number: National Research, Development and Innovation Office within the framework of the National Laboratory for Health Security program [LIFE08 NAT/H/000288]; Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office [RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00006]; Young Researcher Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences [K138060]; Hungarian Academy of Sciences [FK2024-10/2023] Funding text: The authors acknowledge the support of the Pannon Seed Bank project (LIFE08 NAT/H/000288) and thank the Kiskunsag National Park for providing the study area. This work was supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office within the framework of the National Laboratory for Health Security program (grant number RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00006) and the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (grant number K138060) . K.J.A. was supported by the Young Researcher Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (FK2024-10/2023) , while M.H. was financed by the Janos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (BO/00145/23/8) . |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Grassland restoration; ex situ seed bank; Invasive alien species; Long-term research; Seeding year; Seed introduction; Short-term seed storage |
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation / földrajz, antropológia, kikapcsolódás > GE Environmental Sciences / környezettudomány Q Science / természettudomány > QH Natural history / természetrajz > QH540 Ecology / ökológia |
| SWORD Depositor: | MTMT SWORD |
| Depositing User: | MTMT SWORD |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Sep 2026 13:05 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Sep 2026 13:05 |
| URI: | https://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/246606 |
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