Natural regeneration of woody and herbaceous species in ecological restoration areas in the Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Natural regeneration of forests is one of the most important tools for inferring about the behavior of forest restoration processes. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the natural regeneration in an area of Dense Rainforest of the Lowlands after 8 years of implementation of the restoration project. The area consisted of six treatments (factorial 3 × 2), with three levels of species richness, two spacings and three repetitions, in randomized blocks. In each treatment and in the mature forest three plots of 5 × 10 m were demarcated, identifying all woody and herbaceous individuals. Floristic diversity (H’) and equability (J’) were calculated, in addition to the Distended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). The floristic diversity and equability were lower in areas undergoing restoration (H’ = 1.82 nats indiv-1 and J’ = 0.51). The DCA resulted in the formation of distinct groups, which differ from the mature forest of the area under restoration. In all treatments, a large number of herbaceous individuals were registered (3,963), which may have negatively influenced the establishment of woody individuals (351). The statistics revealed that the shared treatments of many woody and herbaceous species, reinforcing that planting with greater richness of species is no guarantee of success in establishing natural regeneration with high diversity.