Influence of Bracken Fronds and Leaf Litter Management on Soil Seed Bank Characteristics in a Fire‐Disturbed Tropical Montane Forest

ABSTRACT The bracken fern Pteridium spp. dominates postfire vegetation in tropical montane forests, where fronds, litter, allelopathy, and dispersal limitation hinder forest regeneration. However, this species' effect on soil seed bank remains poorly understood. We investigated the effects of bracken fronds and litter on the abundance, richness, and species diversity of the soil seed bank in a tropical montane fire‐deforested area in Bolivia. At eight study sites (1800–2350 a.s.l), soil samples were collected under five treatments: (a) fronds and litter intact (F + L+), (b) fronds intact and litter removed (F + L−), (c) fronds removed and litter intact (F−L+), (d) fronds and litter removed (F−L−), and (e) forest. Using the seedling emergence method, samples were assessed every 20 days over 8 months (September 2021–May 2022). Compared to intact bracken, forest areas showed 2.6, 1.7, and 1.5‐fold greater abundance, species richness, and diversity of zoochorous species, respectively. Among bracken treatments, abundance, richness, and diversity of zoochorous species decreased by 2.7, 2.6, and 2 times, respectively, when fronds and litter were removed, compared to the intact bracken treatment, but were not significantly different when only litter was removed. Our findings indicate that in bracken‐dominated environments, fronds and litter improve microclimatic conditions, maintaining the viability of zoochorous species in the soil seed bank. The removal of litter without cutting fronds reduces light interception and seed trapping while maintaining zoochorous seed germination capacity in the soil, and might be a better management strategy than removing fronds and litter to promote seedling recruitment from the soil seed bank.