Bekele Tamrat (PhD)Kelbessa Ensermu (Professor)Teklu Yohannis2018-07-172023-11-092018-07-172023-11-092014-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/9050Soil seed banks are important sources of new individuals for many plant populations and contribute to future genetic variability. The objective of this study was to investigate the composition and density of soil seed bank and natural regeneration status at Gera moist afromontane forest. A total of fifty quadrats were established in the selected sites. The quadrat size (30m × 30 m) for trees, shrubs and herbs and with seedling (height ≤ 1.0 m), sapling (height between 1 and 3 m) and mature tree/shrub (height >3 m) laid down to examine similarity between standing vegetation and seed bank flora as well as natural regeneration of the study site. Soil samples were collected from the main quadrats measuring 15 cm X 15 cm and from four soil layers, the litter layer and three successive layers (0-3 cm, 3-6 cm, and 6-9 cm). A total of 66 plant species germinated from all the soil samples collected for the investigation. Herbs dominated the soil seed bank representing nearly 65.7% of the identified species. The distribution of seeds through the profile indicated a sharp decline in abundance with depth. The greatest reserves of seeds were in the surface layer of the soil (0-3 cm). Between the standing vegetation and the soil seed bank there was very low similarity (JCS = 0.08-0.28). However, there was a general tendency of appearance of native woody species from the soil seed bank as evidenced by the germination of few woody species. This implies that reliance on the soil seed bank for the recovery of native woody species is worthy for Gera moist afromontane forest. Key words/phrases: - Gera Forest, Seed density, Soil seed bank, Species compositionenGera ForestSeed densitySoil seed bankSpecies compositionSoil Seed Bank Study at Gera Moist Evergreen Afromontane Forest, Jimma Zone of Oromia Regional State, Southwest EthiopiaThesis