Data from: Influence of bracken fronds and leaf litter management on soil seed bank characteristics in a fire-disturbed tropical montane forest

The bracken fern Pteridium spp. dominates post-fire vegetation in tropical
montane forests, where fronds, litter, allelopathy, and dispersal
limitation hinder forest regeneration. However, this species’ effect on
soil seed bank remains poorly understood. We investigated the effects of
bracken fronds and litter on the abundance, richness, and species
diversity of the soil seed bank in a tropical montane fire-deforested area
in Bolivia. At eight study sites (1,800-2,350 m.a.s.l), soil samples were
collected under five treatments: (a) fronds and litter intact (F+L+), (b)
fronds intact and litter removed (F+L-), (c) fronds removed and litter
intact (F-L+), (d) fronds and litter removed (F-L-), and (e) forest. Using
the seedling emergence method, samples were assessed every 20 days over
eight months (September 2021- May 2022). Compared to intact bracken,
forest areas showed 2.6, 1.7, and 1.5-fold greater abundance, species
richness, and diversity of zoochorous species, respectively. Among bracken
treatments, abundance, richness, and diversity of zoochorous species
decreased by 2.7, 2.6, and 2 times, respectively, when fronds and litter
were removed, compared to the intact bracken treatment, but were not
significantly different when only litter was removed. Our findings
indicate that in bracken-dominated environments, fronds and litter improve
microclimatic conditions, there by maintaining the viability of zoochorous
species in the soil seed bank. The removal of litter without cutting
fronds reduces light interception and seed trapping, while maintaining
zoochorous seed germination capacity in the soil, and might be a better
management strategy than removing fronds and litter to promote seedling
recruitment from the soil seed bank.