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The relationship between seed size and abundance within plant communities has received considerable research attention as ecologists have sought to understand the fundamental determinants of species abundance (Rabinowitz 1978, Mitchley and Grubb 1986, Rees 1995, Guo et al. 2000, Leishman and Murray 2001, Coomes et al. 2002, Levine and Rees 2002, Guo 2003, Murray and Leishman 2003). In addition to understanding patterns of plant abundance, finding predictable relationships between life-history traits such as seed size and plant rarity can yield valuable information for the conservation and management of species (Murray et al. 2002a). Seed size has been investigated in relation to plant rarity at several spatial scales, from within local communities (Rees 1995) to regional assemblages (Eriksson and Jakobsson 1998, Thompson et al. 1999, Bruun 2001) and across geographical ranges (Murray et …