The soil seed bank (SSB) is an important source of resilience for plant communities subjected to disturbances. This study aimed to identify characteristics of the SSB, its relationship with aboveground vegetation (AGV), and its significance for restoration of vegetation in West African savanna-woodlands. Data were collected from two long-term factorial experiments established in 1992 in Burkina Faso to examine the long-term ecological effects of grazing, early fire, selective tree cutting on savanna-woodland ecosystem. A total of 1920 soil samples were taken from three soil layers (i.e. 0-3 cm, 3–6 cm and 6–9 cm) and the SSB was assessed using the seedling emergence technique. The emerged seedlings were dominated by non-woody taxa. Only two woody species that were Flueggea virosa and Mitragyna inermis emerged, showing that woody species feature little in the SSB. The SSB density and richness decreased significantly with soil depth. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination indicated a lack of correspondence between the AGV and SSB. The results suggest site-specific responses to disturbance also following long-term disturbance, the SSB will be ineffective in regenerating the remnant vegetation of West African savanna-woodlands. Hence, ensuring the resilience of West African savanna woodland ecosystems will require targeted introductions (i.e. planting and seeding) of indigenous species and a reduction in on-going disturbances.

土壤种子库（SSB）是遭受干扰的植物群落重要的恢复力来源。这项研究旨在确定SSB的特征，其与地上植被（AGV）的关系及其对西非稀树草原林地植被恢复的意义。数据收集自1992年在布基纳法索建立的两个长期析因实验，以检验放牧，早期火灾，选择性砍伐对稀树草原-林地生态系统的长期生态影响。从三个土壤层（即0-3 cm，3-6 cm和6-9 cm）采集了1920个土壤样品，并使用出苗技术评估了SSB。出苗的树种以非木质类群为主。只有两个木本物种是Flueggea virosa和出现了无叶Mitragyna inermis，表明木本物种在SSB中几乎没有特征。随着土壤深度的增加，SSB的密度和丰富度显着下降。非度量多维标度（NMDS）排序指示AGV和SSB之间缺少对应关系。结果表明，在长期干扰之后，针对干扰的特定位置响应，SSB在再生西非热带稀树草原林地的残留植被方面将无效。因此，要确保西非大草原林地生态系统的复原力，就需要有针对性地引进（即种植和播种）土著物种，并减少持续的干扰。