Buried seed populations in the subarctic forest east of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories

Buried seeds were studied in the subarctic forest east of Great Slave Lake, N.W.T., where 62 surface samples were collected in upland vegetation of different ages and compositions. No seeds germinated from any of the samples after cold treatment and exposure to warm, moist environment. Seeds were present in the soil, but most of them proved non-viable by the tetrazolium chloride test.Lack of viable buried seeds is consistent with a poleward decrease in the buried viable seed populations under forests. Possibly the gradient parallels a decrease in length of growing season and its effect on germination strategies. The lack of viable buried seeds provides a partial explanation of observed slow vegetational recovery after fire in subarctic forests.