Assessing Soil Seed Bank Under Different Techniques for Cerrado Restoration

ABSTRACT The evaluation of the soil seed bank is essential to understand the potential for natural regeneration and ecological processes in areas undergoing restoration. We assessed changes in species abundance and diversity in the soil seed bank within a cerrado sensu stricto (typical Brazilian savanna) restoration experiment conducted in a degraded pasture invaded by Urochloa spp., characterized by low natural regeneration. Four treatments were implemented: active restoration by seedling planting with and without fertilization (Sf and Sp), assisted natural regeneration (An) and control (Cr). Soil seed bank samples were collected from 2020 to 2023 (T1–T4), with 64 samples per year, and germinated in a greenhouse for 120 days. PERMANOVA analyses indicated greater seedling abundance in T4 than in T1 and T2 (pseudo‐ F = 25.016, p < 0.003). The Sf and Sp treatments resulted in higher seedling abundance than An and Cr ( p < 0.05). SIMPER analyses revealed high dissimilarity between T1 and T4 (81.17%), with an increase in native ruderal species and a reduction in Urochloa spp. over time. Overall, restoration treatments increased the abundance and diversity of native species, demonstrating their effectiveness in promoting ecological recovery.