土壤种子库的研究进展及若干研究热点

 土壤种子库是指存在于表层土壤（包括凋落物）中的有生命的种子。土壤种子库的研究已是植物生态学研究不可缺少的一部分,现已成为植物种群生态学中比较活跃的领域。土壤种子库时期是植物种群生活史的一个重要阶段,有人称之为潜种群阶段。土壤种子库对一年生植物来说尤其重要。土壤种子库简单地可分为瞬时土壤种子库和长久土壤种子库,即使给予理想的萌发条件如季节、温度、湿度等,土壤种子库中也仍有部分种子保持休眠状态,休眠的种子组成了土壤长久种子库的成分。时空异质性是土壤种子库的基本特性之一,不仅不同植被类型的土壤种子库具有不同的组成、大小和多样性,而且微环境也影响土壤种子库的分布格局。由于萌发、捕食和衰老等原因,土壤种子库具有季节动态,一般在旧种子萌发之后,新种子散布之前达到最低点。在高等植物占据的大多数生境中,以休眠繁殖体形式存在的个体远远超过地上植株的数量;土壤种子库、幼苗库和成年植被相互联系相互影响。由于各种原因如群落类型的差异、群落的演替阶段、取样的时间等,地上植被和土壤种子库之间关系大体上可分为两种情况,即相似性和差异性;研究土壤种子库的方法通常有萌发法和物理分离法。土壤种子库能部分反应群落的历史,对退化生态系统的恢复起着重要的作用。目前土壤种子库的主要研究热点问题可分为以下几个方面：1）土壤种子库的研究方法,2）土壤种子库的分类问题,3）土壤种子库分布的时空格局,4）地上植被和土壤种子库的关系,5）土壤种子库的动态等。     

Demographic Analysis of a Disjunct Population of Froelichia floridana in the mid-Ohio River Valley

Froelichia floridana (cottonweed) occurs as a disjunct population along the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio. The anomalous occurrence of F. floridana in this area has led to its designation as a state endangered species and a management regime to maintain the habitat conditions in which it occurs. As part of this effort, a restoration site was established on public lands in 1984 from seed collected in areas threatened by development. This study seeks to determine the demographic characteristics of this species in the restored and non‐restored managed sites to provide basic ecological information regarding life history parameters and to judge the effectiveness of the restoration. For two years (1997–1998) we collected information on seed bank abundance, field seed germination, plant survivorship, and seed production to create a stage‐based transition matrix model. The model suggests that population growth and abundance as assayed by λ (rate of increase) are stable to declining and are similar between the restoration and natural sites. A reduction in competition had a positive effect on population growth. Elasticity analysis showed that plants germinating earlier in the spring and becoming established as an early cohort contributed a greater level of reproductive output than plants germinating in late spring. Lowered population growth for 1997 is attributed to a cooler and dryer than average early spring that delayed germination and subsequent seed production. Elasticity analysis also suggested that the presence of a persistent seed bank was crucial for long‐term population maintenance and may allow for recovery in areas of low aboveground abundance through soil manipulation.     

A stochastic population model for Lepidium papilliferum (Brassicaceae), a rare desert ephemeral with a persistent seed bank

Population viability analysis (PVA) is a valuable tool for rare plant conservation, but PVA for plants with persistent seed banks is difficult without reliable information on seed bank processes. We modeled the population dynamics of the Snake River Plains ephemeral Lepidium papilliferum using data from an 11-yr artificial seed bank experiment to estimate age-specific vital rates for viability loss and germination. We related variation in postgermination demographic parameters to annual variation in precipitation patterns and used these relationships to construct a stochastic population model using precipitation driver variables. This enabled us to incorporate realistic levels of environmental variability into the model. A model incorporating best estimates for parameter values resulted in a mean trajectory for seed bank size that remained essentially stable through time, although there was a measurable risk of extinction over a 100-yr period for the study population under this scenario. Doubling the annual seed viability loss rate resulted in near-certain extinction, as did increasing first-year germination to 100%, showing the importance of the persistent seed bank. Interestingly, increasing environmental variance substantially decreased the risk of extinction, presumably because this plant relies on extremely good years to restock the persistent seed bank, while extremely bad years have little impact. If every year were average in this desert environment, the species could not persist. Simulated effects of livestock trampling resulted in greatly increased extinction risk, even over time frames as short as 15 years.     

Experimental determination of seed emergence and carry‐over in the soil seed bank of the herbaceous perennial,Trachymene incisa (Apiaceae)

Abstract Many populations of herbaceous perennial plants contain seeds stored in a soil seed bank. The contribution of seeds to population persistence is an important parameter in population models but germination rates of known‐age seeds are difficult to obtain because individual seeds cannot easily be followed. Although Trachymene incisa Rudge plants produce copious seeds that are dispersed into the soil, the existence of a seed bank has not been confirmed. To quantify the potential for a seed bank fresh seeds of T. incisa were sown into experimental seed banks in the eucalypt‐dominated Agnes Banks Woodland in western Sydney, NSW. A recent fire provided the opportunity to compare germination in the burnt and unburnt vegetation. Density of seed sowing and time of maturation/dispersal of seeds were manipulated in 75 seed cages. Emergence of seeds after 5 months was significantly higher for the earliest planting date but after 1 year, germination of seeds planted in the later weeks increased, and the final germination for all weeks was 28%. Density of sowing and the recent fire did not affect emergence. A second experiment planted over a broader time span (9 weeks instead of 3 weeks) confirmed the effect of planting date but also found significant spatial variation on a scale of tens of metres. Laboratory germination rates of over 70% confirmed that the seeds were viable and non‐dormant when sown in the field cages. The carry‐over of non‐germinated seed in the soil seed bank is estimated to be about 70% after 2 years, implying that a cohort of seeds would not be depleted through germination alone for up to 40 years. The potential for a long‐lived seed bank in this species is interesting because the plants are also capable of resprouting from their rootstock after fire, giving them characteristics of both resprouters and seeders.     

植物种群更新的补充限制

补充限制基于生态位理论, 从种子萌发、幼苗存活和生长、繁殖体扩散等生活史阶段的种群统计特征及环境因素(土壤水分、养分、凋落物等)着手, 探讨种群的更新问题。种源限制和微生境限制是补充限制理论研究的核心内容, 但是哪个更为重要并没有统一的结论。种源限制与种子生产、土壤种子库和地下芽库中的繁殖体数量不足有关。其中, 气候的年际波动、土壤种子库寿命和动物的捕食都会影响种子生产在种群更新中的作用; 土壤种子库常被视为种群更新的保险库, 与地上种子雨共同促进种群更新, 但是, 如果土壤里种子具有较高的死亡率和休眠率, 将会降低种子库的作用; 地下芽库及其产生的无性分株对于种群更新的意义更多地体现在干扰后种群更强的恢复能力上。扩散限制是种群更新中的普遍现象, 与种子产量、散布能力、传播媒介、幼苗密度等因素有关。微生境限制主要表现为水分、养分、凋落物等非生物因素以及竞争、捕食等生物因素对种子的活力、萌发性、幼苗的存活力、物质分配等过程的影响, 其重要性随着植物生活史阶段而发生变化。未来需要进行综合的、长期的实验, 并应着重加强种源限制及相关生态过程的进化与生态相结合的机理性研究, 从而更深刻地认识和理解种群更新问题, 建立更为综合、系统的种群更新理论体系。     

Deer grazing changes seed traits and functions of grazing-intolerant plants

Grazing by ungulates can affect seed production in plants, and consequently seed recruitment into seed banks, which is a plant strategy to increase their resilience. The impact of grazing on seed quantity has been well studied; however, the impact of grazing on seed quality has received less attention, despite its role in determining the longevity of a seed bank. Here, we examined the impact of ungulate grazing on seed quality in plants, using two grazing-intolerant grassland species (Hemerocallis dumortieri var. esculenta and Geranium yesoense var. nipponicum). We found that grazing reduced seed length and weight, while increasing the germination rate. These changes in seed quality induced by grazing could reduce the persistence of seed banks and would thus seem to be an important mechanism involved in the impact of ungulate grazing on plant population dynamics.     

Demographic consequences of delayed germination in two annual grasses from two locations of contrasting aridity

Delayed seed germination is considered to be a bet-hedging strategy, but experimental evidence of its adaptive role as an inherited trait is still lacking. In each of two co-occuring annual grass species, populations of Mediterranean and desert origin were studied during three consecutive years for population demography and seed germination in the reciprocally introduced experimental soil seed banks. The two environments strikingly differed in productivity (annual rainfall) and predictability (variation in amount and timing of annual rainfall). The two species exhibited highly similar pattern of seed size and dormancy across the two environments. In both species, a higher proportion of dormant seeds was observed at the desert location and for the seeds of desert origin, consistent with bet-hedging buffering against unpredictability of rainfall and high probability of drought in this environment. In addition, in both species seed mass was significantly less in plants of desert origin than in plants of Mediterranean origin. The two environments differed in demographic consequences of temporal variation in precipitation. In the Mediterranean population, even in the year of least precipitation, adults grew to maturity and seeds were produced. These seeds served to maintain population size. In contrast, in the desert population, in the year of least rainfall no seedlings survived to maturity and the soil seed bank was the only source of population persistence. Altogether, the results concur with predicted by adaptive bet hedging importance of delayed germination under marginal precipitation.     

Comparative effects of different smoke treatments on germination of Australian native plants

Abstract This study consists of a series of investigations designed to determine the potential of concentrated smoke products to stimulate seed germination and assist in the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes. Aerosol smoke and conventional smoke water products are not practical for use in broad‐scale seed bank regeneration programmes due to infrastructure limitations and the high rate of application required for their use. Concentrated smoke products have been found to be effective in stimulating soil seed banks and are suitable for broad‐scale use due to the lower rate of application required to elicit germination within smoke‐responsive species. The use of concentrated smoke products on undisturbed soil seed banks at 50 and 100 mL m^‐2 increased total seedling numbers 10‐fold, while species richness more than doubled over untreated controls. Although aerosol smoke applied directly to soil promoted 10 times more seedlings compared to concentrated smoke products, species richness levels in each treatment were similar. Concentrated smoke products cause leaf scorch when applied directly over plants in active growth, with limited to nil damage when plants are not actively growing. The affected plants generally recovered following application of concentrated smoke products as a foliar spray.     

Seed aging,delayed germination and reduced competitive ability in Bromus tectorum

In annual plants, increased competitive advantage has often been attributed to rapid germination and early establishment. In contrast, many annual species exhibit some degree of delayed germination (i.e., seed dormancy) that results in the formation of age structure within the seed population. Delayed germination can be an effective bet-hedging strategy in variable or unpredictable environments as a seed bank can buffer against years with reproductive failures and reduce the probability of local extinction. However, there has been little consideration of the direct effects of aging within the seed pool although the potential demographic costs of such a strategy (e.g., mortality in the seed bank or delayed reproduction) are well known. We used aged (4 year-old) and freshly produced seed from meadow steppe and sagebrush steppe populations of an annual grass (Bromus tectorum)to investigate the importance of seed age on seedling vigor and competitive ability. Aged seed from the meadow steppe population exhibited delays in germination that reduced plant growth and final biomass when the plants were grown with competition. Aged seed from the sagebrush steppe population did not exhibit delays in germination. By including a treatment that experimentally delayed the germination of freshly produced meadow steppe seed, we also examined the effects of delayed germination alone. A comparison of results from this delay treatment with those from the aged seed treatment suggested that the reduced competitive ability of meadow steppe plants produced from aged seed, although largely a result of the temporal delay in germination, was partly due to reduced seed vigor. Together these results indicate that physiological costs associated with seed age may affect aboveground competitive interactions and, in turn, the relative fitness of older cohorts in the soil seed bank.     

Restoration of ditch bank plant species richness: The potential of the soil seed bank

Abstract. Small‐scale landscape elements, such as ditch banks, play an important role in preserving plant species richness in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we investigate whether the seed bank might be useful for restoring the above‐ground plant species richness. We studied the vegetation and seed bank composition at six species‐rich and six species‐poor ditch banks, where agri‐environment schemes are running to maintain and enhance ditch bank plant diversity. We show that the number of species in the seed bank was low, regardless of the number of species in the established vegetation. Moreover, the seed bank was always dissimilar to the established vegetation. Target species for nature conservation were occasionally present in the seed bank at both species‐poor and species‐rich sites, but rarely so if the species was absent from the established vegetation. We conclude that the potential use of the seed bank for restoration of ditch banks is minimal. At present, plant species richness seems to be largely controlled by germination opportunities; high biomass and competition appear to hamper germination at species‐poor sites. We recommend continued nutrient reduction at such sites. Soil disturbance measures and deliberate sowing should also be considered.     

Hidden biodiversity in the Arctic – a study of soil seed banks at Disko Island,Qeqertarsuaq, West Greenland

Seed dispersal is a key process in plant community dynamics, and soil seed banks represent seed dispersal in time rather than in space. Despite their potential importance, seed bank dynamics in the Arctic are poorly understood. We investigated soil seed banks and corresponding plant community composition in three contrasting vegetation types in West Greenland, viz. dwarf shrub heaths, herb slopes and fell‐fields. Through germination testing, 31 species were documented in soil seed banks. All of these were herbaceous, while no dwarf‐shrub species, which represents the dominating growth form in the above‐ground vegetation, were emerging from the seed bank. Consequently, across vegetation types, the lowest similarity between seed bank and above‐ground vegetation was found in dwarf shrub heath. Nine plant species were exclusively found in seed bank, all of which were non‐clonal forbs. Seed bank size (total number of seeds) and species richness seemed to increase with the level of natural disturbance. Additionally, we examined the effect of different experimental light and temperature conditions on the quantity and diversity of germinating seeds. The difference in diversity in vegetation and seed bank at the species level will impact population dynamics, regeneration of vegetation after disturbances and its potential to respond to climate change.     

Ant-mediated expansion of an obligate seeder species during the first years after fire

Most obligate seeder species build up a soil seed bank that is associated with massive seed germination in the year immediately after a fire. These species are also shade‐intolerant and disappear when vegetation cover closes, creating unsuitable conditions for seedling recruitment. The only way for these plants to expand their populations is when habitats suitable for seedling recruitment arise (i.e. in years immediately after a fire). However, short primary seed dispersal of obligate seeders does not allow these plants to colonise the suitable habitats, and these habitats can only be colonised by secondary seed dispersion. We hypothesised that Fumana ericoides, an obligate‐seeding small shrub, not only establishes abundantly in the first year after fire, but also expands its local range in the following years due to secondary dispersal by ants while suitable habitats are still available. We tested this hypothesis using experimental studies and a simulation model of potential population expansion in a recently burned area. Results showed that F. ericoides not only established prolifically in the year immediately after fire, but was also able to recruit new individuals and expand its population in the years following the fire, despite a low germination rate and short primary seed dispersal. Ant‐mediated seed dispersal and availability of suitable habitats were key factors in this phenomenon: ants redistributed seeds in suitable habitats while they were available, which accelerated the expansion of F. ericoides because new plants established far away from the core population.     

Can Soil Seed Banks Serve as Genetic Memory? A Study of Three Species with Contrasting Life History Strategies

We attempted to confirm that seed banks can be viewed as an important genetic reservoir by testing the hypothesis that standing (aboveground) plants represent a nonrandom sample of the seed bank. We sampled multilocus allozyme genotypes from three species with different life history strategies: Amaranthus retroflexus, Carduus acanthoides, Pastinaca sativa. In four populations of each species we analysed the extent to which allele and genotype frequencies vary in consecutive life history stages including the summer seed bank, which has been overlooked up to now. We compared the winter seed bank (i.e., seeds collected before the spring germination peak), seedlings, rosettes, the summer seed bank (i.e., seeds collected after the spring germination peak) and fruiting plants. We found that: (1) All three species partitioned most of their genetic diversity within life history stages and less among stages within populations and among populations. (2) All genetic diversity parameters, except for allele frequencies, were similar among all life history stages across all populations in different species. (3) There were differences in allele frequencies among life history stages at all localities in Amaranthus retroflexus and at three localities in both Carduus acanthoides and Pastinaca sativa. (4) Allele frequencies did not differ between the winter and summer seed bank in most Carduus acanthoides and Pastinaca sativa populations, but there was a marked difference in Amaranthus retroflexus. In conclusion, we have shown that the summer seed bank is not genetically depleted by spring germination and that a majority of genetic diversity remains in the soil through summer. We suggest that seed banks in the species investigated play an important role by maintaining genetic diversity sufficient for recovery rather than by accumulating new genetic diversity at each locality.     

Aerial and soil seed banks enable populations of an annual species to cope with an unpredictable dune ecosystem

Background and Aims

Simultaneous formation of aerial and soil seed banks by a species provides a mechanism for population maintenance in unpredictable environments. Eolian activity greatly affects growth and regeneration of plants in a sand dune system, but we know little about the difference in the contributions of these two seed banks to population dynamics in sand dunes.

Methods

Seed release, germination, seedling emergence and survival of a desert annual, Agriophyllum squarrosum (Chenopodiaceae), inhabiting the Ordos Sandland in China, were determined in order to explore the different functions of the aerial and soil seed banks.

Key Results

The size of the aerial seed bank was higher than that of the soil seed bank throughout the growing season. Seed release was positively related to wind velocity. Compared with the soil seed bank, seed germination from the aerial seed bank was lower at low temperature (5/15 °C night/day) but higher in the light. Seedling emergence from the soil seed bank was earlier than that from the aerial seed bank. Early-emerged (15 April–15 May) seedlings died due to frost, but seedlings that emerged during the following months survived to reproduce successfully.

Conclusions

The timing of seed release and different germination behaviour resulted in a temporal heterogeneity of seedling emergence and establishment between the two seed banks. The study suggests that a bet-hedging strategy for the two seed banks enables A. squarrosum populations to cope successfully with the unpredictable desert environment.     

Weak seed banks influence the signature and detectability of selective sweeps

Seed banking (or dormancy) is a widespread bet-hedging strategy, generating a form of population overlap, which decreases the magnitude of genetic drift. The methodological complexity of integrating this trait implies it is ignored when developing tools to detect selective sweeps. But, as dormancy lengthens the ancestral recombination graph (ARG), increasing times to fixation, it can change the genomic signatures of selection. To detect genes under positive selection in seed banking species it is important to (1) determine whether the efficacy of selection is affected, and (2) predict the patterns of nucleotide diversity at and around positively selected alleles. We present the first tree sequence-based simulation program integrating a weak seed bank to examine the dynamics and genomic footprints of beneficial alleles in a finite population. We find that seed banking does not affect the probability of fixation and confirm expectations of increased times to fixation. We also confirm earlier findings that, for strong selection, the times to fixation are not scaled by the inbreeding effective population size in the presence of seed banks, but are shorter than would be expected. As seed banking increases the effective recombination rate, footprints of sweeps appear narrower around the selected sites and due to the scaling of the ARG are detectable for longer periods of time. The developed simulation tool can be used to predict the footprints of selection and draw statistical inference of past evolutionary events in plants, invertebrates, or fungi with seed banks.     

Persistence of seed banks in Australian temporary wetlands

1. The ability of seeds to survive periods of drying and wetting that do not lead to seed production will determine the potential species pool for future plant communities of temporary wetlands. I investigated characteristics of the seed banks in sediment from Australian temporary wetlands that might contribute to the ability of aquatic plants to re‐establish after extended drought. 2. Experimental investigation into germination from sediment from six sites in five Australian temporary wetlands, with various water regimes, examined two sources of seed bank depletion: (i) length of time dry (longevity up to 12 years) and (ii) successive annual wetting and germination events (up to seven) with intervening periods dry (leaving a residual seed bank), both without any opportunity for replenishment of the seed bank. 3. These wetlands had species‐rich, long‐lived seed banks that were not exhausted by successive germination events. After three years of dry storage, 90% of the original seed bank species germinated, after six years 75% and after 12 years 20%. After seven successive wetting and drying events without seed bank replenishment, 48% of the original species still germinated. The mean survival time dry for seed bank species, 7.4 years, was longer than the duration of recent droughts. 4. Seed bank composition varied among wetlands and over time; most species did not occur in all wetlands and many occurred in one wetland only. The germination patterns of different species, although differing in detail, tended to be consistent in that all species could survive long dry periods and several wetting and drying events. However, experimental drought significantly diminished species richness and abundance, indicating limits to seed bank persistence. 5. Data from such long‐term studies of seed bank persistence should allow prediction of the species richness and composition of the germinating communities in a wetland whose water regime is intentionally or unintentionally altered. This ability to forecast may become particularly important under climate change and the need to predict future wetland conditions.     

Host‐parasite coevolution can promote the evolution of seed banking as a bet‐hedging strategy

Seed (egg) banking is a common bet‐hedging strategy maximizing the fitness of organisms facing environmental unpredictability by the delayed emergence of offspring. Yet, this condition often requires fast and drastic stochastic shifts between good and bad years. We hypothesize that the host seed banking strategy can evolve in response to coevolution with parasites because the coevolutionary cycles promote a gradually changing environment over longer times than seed persistence. We study the evolution of host germination fraction as a quantitative trait using both pairwise competition and multiple mutant competition methods, while the germination locus can be genetically linked or unlinked with the host locus under coevolution. In a gene‐for‐gene model of coevolution, hosts evolve a seed bank strategy under unstable coevolutionary cycles promoted by moderate to high costs of resistance or strong disease severity. Moreover, when assuming genetic linkage between coevolving and germination loci, the resistant genotype always evolves seed banking in contrast to susceptible hosts. Under a matching‐allele interaction, both hosts’ genotypes exhibit the same seed banking strategy irrespective of the genetic linkage between loci. We suggest host–parasite coevolution as an additional hypothesis for the evolution of seed banking as a temporal bet‐hedging strategy.     

Seed bank persistence of clonal weeds in contrasting habitats: implications for control

The ability of weeds to form a seed bank is important for their population dynamics and management because it provides a refuge enabling reinvasion after established target plants have died. However, knowledge of the differential seed behaviour of individual species over multiple years and varying environmental conditions is surprisingly rare but necessary for effective control of diverse weed populations. We established a seed burial experiment in alpine habitats differing in management regime (i.e., forest, hay meadow and pasture) to determine whether seeds of the unpalatable perennial weeds, Veratrum album (white hellebore) and Gentiana lutea (yellow gentian) were able to delay germination and remain viable over 3 years. Our study shows that both species formed a short-term persistent seed bank; in the third-year, the soil seed banks of both species were nearly depleted, having declined to <5% of their original size. Both species had strikingly different germination strategies: G. lutea seeds mainly germinated in their first-year, whilst the majority of V. album seeds germinated in their second-year. The fraction of dormant G. lutea seeds increased with seed age, indicating that seeds remained viable after forgoing germination in the previous year. Habitat-specific differences in seed germination increased with seed age, with germination fractions being lowest in moist hay meadows. This suggests that the negative effects of anoxic conditions became more pronounced as seeds aged in hay meadows. Conversely, seed dormancy was equal among habitats. The absence of a long-term persistent seed bank has important implications for the management of both nuisance and endangered-plant populations. In the case of V. album and G. lutea, re-colonization of habitats from the seed bank is unlikely after established plants have been removed.     

Fire‐related cues and germination from the soil seed bank of senescent remnants of mallee vegetation on Eastern Kangaroo Island

Plant communities dominated by narrow‐leaved mallee (Eucalyptus cneorifolia) are almost entirely confined to north‐eastern Kangaroo Island, South Australia, an area which has been extensively cleared for agriculture. Consequently, surviving examples consist mostly of small remnants which are thought to be senescent due to the exclusion of fire. This senescence is associated with the loss of many native understory species. Prescribed burns have been suggested as a management tool to stimulate the restoration of native plants from the soil seed bank; however, no seed bank studies have previously been conducted on Kangaroo Island and the seed bank literature usually focuses on particular species rather than on plant communities. We conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of the fire‐related cues heat and smoke on the germination of plants from the seed bank in soil sampled from 10 long‐ungrazed narrow‐leaved mallee sites on Kangaroo Island. Eighty trays of soil were monitored in a controlled glasshouse for five months after being subjected to heat and/or smoke treatments. The overall number of native, but not exotic, plant species germinating from the soil seed bank was significantly increased by all three fire‐related treatments (heat, smoke and heat plus smoke) compared with the control (no fire‐related treatment). Different plant life forms exhibited varying responses to heat and smoke treatments. The results of this study illustrate that the application of fire‐related treatments to soil seed banks in controlled glasshouse conditions can stimulate the recruitment of native species, including several species of conservation concern. These findings also indicate the potential of using these treatments for the ex situ germination of fire dependent species for revegetation purposes and indicate aspects of prescribed burns that may be important for restoring different components of native vegetation.     

Burning Influences on Wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana) Restoration Plantings: Natural Seedling Recruitment and Survival

Regeneration and expansion of Aristida beyrichiana and Aristida stricta (wiregrass) populations in remaining fire‐maintained Pinus palustris (longleaf pine) stands of the southeastern United States has become an objective of land managers. Although growing‐season fire is required for successful wiregrass seed production, studies examining naturally occurring wiregrass seedling dynamics are few. This study investigates how seedling survivorship is affected by season of burn, seedling size, time since germination, and proximity to adult plants. Restoration at this research site was begun in 1992 with the planting of containerized longleaf pine and wiregrass seedlings. Study plots were established in November 1997 after a growing‐season prescribed fire (June 1996) that resulted in successful seed production and seedling recruitment. Burn treatment plots included (1) no burn (control), (2) fire in the dormant season of the first year after germination (March 1998), (3) fire in the growing season of the first year after germination (August 1998), and (4) fire in the growing season of the second year after germination (July 1999). Seedling mortality increased with growing season burning and close proximity to planted adults. Natural seedling recruitment continued into the second year after initial seed‐drop in all plots, which verifies that wiregrass seed banking occurs for a minimum of 2 years after seed drop. Where wiregrass management objectives include population expansion, seedling recruits should be allowed 1 to 2 years post‐germination without growing season fire for successful establishment.