Drivers of Restoration Trajectory of a Community of Regenerant Plants: Natural Regeneration or Tree Seedling?

Bruno Santos Francisco,Emerson Viveiros,Alex Mauri Tello López,Fatima Conceição Márquez Piña-Rodrigues,José Mauro Santana Da Silva

doi:10.1590/2179-8087-floram-2020-0082

Bruno Santos Francisco, Emerson Viveiros + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8087-floram-2020-0082

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Abstract

Tree plantation is the most used technique for ecological restoration, although passive restoration requires a lower investment of resources. This research aimed to compare the composition and structure of the community of regenerant plants in areas under restoration through Assisted Natural Regeneration and mixed native Tree Planting, in the same area. We randomly placed 12 plots of 100 m2 each and sampled all the regenerating individuals found within them. We compared both restoration methods regarding growth pattern, dispersal syndromes, and successional groups. In both methodologies, trees and shrubs were the most abundant growth forms. The pioneer successional class was the most abundant in number of individuals for both treatments. We concluded that the two restoration methods allowed the regeneration of native species. We propose that Assisted Natural Regeneration is a viable restoration strategy, capable of boosting the initial processes of the community, especially in a matrix surrounded by remaining forests.

Highlights

Tree planting is the most used technique for ecological restoration (Schorn et al, 2010), passive restoration requires a lower investment, especially in areas of difficult access (Leal-Filho et al, 2013), relying only on successional processes to recover spontaneously, like the arrival of propagules and seed banks (Chazdon, 2012)
We propose that Assisted Natural Regeneration is a viable restoration strategy, capable of boosting the initial processes of the community, especially in a matrix surrounded by remaining forests
In the Tree Planting (TP), we have considered regenerants as the nonplanted individuals mainly found between planting rows

Summary

Introduction

Tree planting is the most used technique for ecological restoration (Schorn et al, 2010), passive restoration requires a lower investment, especially in areas of difficult access (Leal-Filho et al, 2013), relying only on successional processes to recover spontaneously, like the arrival of propagules and seed banks (Chazdon, 2012). In this method, natural regeneration occurs in tropical forests through seeds and seedling soil banks, seed rain, and resprouters (Calegari et al, 2013; Piña-Rodrigues & Aoki, 2014; Almeida, 2016). Forest remnants vary in composition and biotic and abiotic characteristics, which affect the supply of seeds to its surroundings (Santos, 2018)

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