Applied Vegetation Science 20 (2017) 410–421 Direct seeding of 16 Brazilian savanna trees: responses to seed burial, mulching and an invasive grass Ra  ıssa R.P. Silva & Daniel L.M. Vieira Keywords Cerrado; Ecological restoration; Functional traits; Neotropical savanna; Restoration ecology; Seed traits; Seedling morpho- functional types Abbreviations CHR = cryptocotylar hypogeal with reserve storage cotyledons; PEF = phanerocotylar epigeal with foliaceous cotyledons; PER = phanerocotylar epigeal with reserve storage cotyledons; PHR = phanerocotylar hypogeal with reserve storage cotyledons. Nomenclature Flora do Brasil 2020 in construction. Jardim Bot^ anico do Rio de Janeiro. (http://floradobra sil.jbrj.gov.br) Received 22 July 2016 Accepted 3 February 2017 Co-ordinating Editor: Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta Silva, R.R.P. (raissa.rpsilva@gmail.com) 1 , Vieira, D.L.M. (corresponding author, daniel.vieira@embrapa.br) 2 1 P os Graduac ß~ ao em Ci^ encias Florestais, Universidade de Bras  ılia, Campus Universit ario Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, 70910-900, Bras  ılia, DF, Brazil; 2 Embrapa Recursos Gen eticos e Biotecnologia, Asa Norte, Caixa Postal 02372, 70770-900, Bras  ılia, DF, Brazil Abstract Aims: To address whether seed and seedling functional traits have a significant effect on germination rates and seedling survival in direct-seeding restoration efforts. We tested the hypotheses that: (1) seed burial only favours the emer- gence of round seeds; and (2) straw mulching improves soil moisture and pre- vents the emergence of the invasive grass Urochloa decumbens, promoting the establishment of native tree seedlings. Location: Experimental field, Central Brazil. Savanna, recently dominated by exotic pasture. Methods: We evaluated the effects of seed burial (surface and buried) and mulching (no-mulch, 5-cm straw mulch and 10-cm straw mulch) on the emer- gence, survival and growth of 16 species of native Cerrado tree species with vari- able seed sizes and shapes and seedling types. Thirty seeds of each species were sown per treatment combination in three blocks. Results: Seed burial did not affect the emergence of species with round seeds, but negatively affected species with flat seeds and phanerocotylar–epigeal– foliaceous seedlings. Straw mulching reduced the emergence of flat seeds and phanerocotylar seedlings, but increased soil moisture and strongly reduced U. decumbens emergence, resulting in a higher growth rate of tree seedlings up to 1 yr for five species. Conclusion: Direct seeding is an effective technique to plant a mixture of Cer- rado tree species for restoration, provided the soil is well prepared and there are mechanisms to control invasive species. Introduction The first record of direct tree seeding dates back to 1870 in Australia (Fergus 2004; Carr et al. 2009), but as recently as 20 yr ago this technique had been formally evaluated in only a few dozen scientific studies. Direct seeding is seen as an alternative strategy for the restoration of forest and savanna ecosystems, because the costs are lower and it is easier to implement than planting nursery-grown seed- lings (Cole et al. 2011; Campos-Filho et al. 2013; Palma & Laurance 2015). In addition, this approach has ecological advantages. For instance, directly seeded trees are likely to establish in suitable microsites because seeds are planted in large quantities and the initial seed and seedling densities are closer to those of early secondary succession areas (Sovu et al. 2010; Schneemann & McElhinny 2012; Campos-Filho et al. 2013), recreating competitive and facilitative interactions. When adopting or developing direct seeding methods for restoration programmes, seed and seedling functional traits must be taken into account, because it is possible that no one method will be adequate for all species in a Applied Vegetation Science 410 Doi: 10.1111/avsc.12305 © 2017 International Association for Vegetation Science