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The seed banks are vital components for the reestablishment of degraded lands since they are used to predict the future coverage of vegetation and allow for the implementation of appropriate conservation measures in a particular area. The study was conducted in the Buska Mountains of the Hamar area in south-western Ethiopia and determined the composition, density and vertical distribution of soil seed banks under various land-use systems and soil layers. A total of 96 soil samples were involved in the study; four land-use types (grassland, forest, scrub and bare ground). Three distinct soil layers from each plot (0-3 cm, 3-6 cm, 6-9 cm depths) were sampled. Jaccard's Similarity Coefficient was applied to evaluate the correspondence between different land-use types and soil layers. One-way ANOVA was used to compute species density and composition respectively within land-use systems along with the seed bank and above ground vegetation. Fifty six (56) species within 27 plant families and 50 genera were recorded. Twenty percent of the species was contributed by Asteraceae followed by Poaceae (16%). Herbaceous growth forms were the most dominant in the area, contributing about 78.6%. The total seedling density in the study plots was 8171 seedlings/m |
