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This study examined small-scale seed distribution using published data collected using the same techniques and the same group of observers in four locations in North American deserts (Curlew Valley, Utah in the Great Basin Desert; Rock Valley, Nevada in the Mojave Desert; Silverbell, Arizona in the Sonoran Desert; and Jornada, New Mexico in the Chihuahuan Desert). The distribution patterns were examined horizontally (under shrub canopy to open areas) and vertically (measured at the soil surface and at four depth intervals) in relation to seed morphology. At all four sites, seed distribution of individual species was positively related to seed abundance. Horizontally, total number of seeds per unit area decreased from under the shrub canopy to intershrub areas. Vertically, total number of seeds declined as soil depth increased. Most species were only present in a small proportion of samples. Small seeds were either abundant and broadly distributed or rare and found in a few samples, but larger seeds were always low in abundance and restricted to a small proportion of samples. For annual species, significantly higher proportions of larger seeds than smaller seeds were found deeper in the soil. However, when much larger-seeded species, i.e. herbaceous perennials and shrubs, were included in the analyses, most very small or very large seeds were found in the upper-most layers of soils and intermediate to large-sized seeds deeper in the soils. Such seed distribution related to seed morphology and soil factors may have significant ecological implications in plant population dynamics and community structure in desert ecosystems. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.