Flora, Life Form and Chorological Study of Aboveground Vegetation and Soil Seed Bank in Noor Forest Park

Aboveground vegetation were sampled by 30 plots of 400 m2 during two periods of March and June. Seed bank flora was studied using seedling emergence method from basis of 240 soil samles (30 plot×4 replication×2 depths of 0-5 and 5-10 cm) which had been hammered by a hollow 400 cm2 metal frame. The floristic results in aboveground vegetation revealed 66 plant species belonging to 58 genera and 38 families, while a total of 103 species, 90 genera and 48 families were represented in the soil seed bank. Lamiaceae, Rosaceae, Poaceae (6 species) and Asteraceae (4 species) in the extant vegetation but in seed bank part Poaceae (11 species), Asteraceae (8 species), Lamiaceae (6 species), Scrophulariaceae, Cyperaceae and Fabaceae (5 species) were the most important families. Results also showed that Phanerophytes (33%) and Euro-Siberian (34%) were the most important biological spectrum and phytochorion respectivly in the aboveground vegetation, whereas therophytes and pluriregional regions elements (31/5%) were the most in the seed bank floras. From total of 119 plant species, the proportion of species that presented only in the aboveground vegetation, only in soil seed bank and in both of them were 16, 53 and 50, respectively. This condition confirms low similarity between above-ground vegetation and persistent soil seed bank and it also reiterate the importance of soil seed bank study for introducing more accurate capacity of plant biodiversity.