The significance of soil seed bank for the protection and ecological restoration of coastal wetland ecological corridor invaded by Spartina alterniflora

Coastal wetlands, situated at the land-sea interface, are critical ecosystems that provide essential services including carbon sequestration and biodiversity maintenance. However, they are highly susceptible to invasion by Spartina alterniflora which disrupts ecological corridor continuity and leads to habitat fragmentation. The soil seed bank, as a reservoir of native germplasm resources, offers significant potential for restoring corridor connectivity and suppressing S. alterniflora through interspecific competition. This paper synthesizes the processes and underlying causes of ecological corridor degradation in coastal wetlands, examines the impacts of S. alterniflora invasion on the structure and composition dynamics of soil seed banks, and explores the relationships between these changes and key environmental factors. The invasion of S. alterniflora is characterized by its superior height and biomass, which confer spatial dominance that not only reduces the distribution of native plant communities but also simplifies soil seed bank composition by filtering seeds from phylogenetically related species. Traditional removal methods, including physical, chemical and biological approaches, have demonstrated limitations such as high costs, environmental pollution and the potential for secondary invasion. In contrast, utilizing native soil seed banks provides a cost-effective and ecologically compatible strategy to restore fragmented habitats, enhance biodiversity, and improve ecosystem stability. The persistence of dormant native seeds in the soil is helpful for post-invasion restoration and supports the re-establishment of continuous ecological corridors. To effectively apply soil seed bank to wetland restoration, it is essential to evaluate invasion intensity, assess landscape connectivity among habitat patches, and consider soil and hydrological conditions. Establishing appropriately ecological corridors based on shoreline characteristics and integrating seed bank transplantation with adaptive environment management. It could facilitate the formation of resilient native plant communities that resist second invasion. It is suggested that the invasion degree of S. alterniflora should be predicted by combining the plant community natural regeneration in coastal wetlands and the soil seed bank potential regeneration ability, and its structure and function should be evaluated by the connectivity between natural patches in coastal wetlands, and the corridor restoration should be carried out with soil seed bank as the carrier combined with the current situation of coastal wetlands, so as to provide scientific basis for restoring the connectivity between fragmented habitats and protecting biodiversity under the background of plant invasion.