The depth profile of a shoreline seed bank in Matchedash Lake, Ontario

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Abstract
Sediment cores were collected from the shore of Matchedash Lake, Simcoe Co., Ontario, on 15 May 1981. Each core was separated into seven depth classes, 0–2, 2–4, 4–6, 6–8, 8–10, 14–16, and 19–21 cm. These classes from each of 49 cores were placed in plastic pots and the seeds in them were allowed to germinate under greenhouse conditions. After 17 weeks, 1458 seedlings representing at least 25 species had germinated; 81% occurred in the top 2 cm of the sediment cores. Both the number of seedlings and the number of species declined rapidly with depth. Seedlings of the following species were most abundant: Eriocaulon septangulare With., Juncus effusus L., Panicum lanuginosum Ell., and Rhynchospora fusca (L.) Ait. Of the remaining species, only two were woody, and each of these was represented by a single seedling. The distribution of germinable seeds in this seed bank indicates that Matchedash Lake has an exceptionally shallow seed bank in relation to other aquatic systems.