PASSIVE RESTORATION OF MIXED OMBROPHILOUS FOREST A DECADE AFTER FOREST PLANTATION REMOVAL IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL

Lilian Iara Bet Stedille,Adelar Mantovani,Newton Clóvis Freitas Da Costa,Lucas Da Luz,Juliano Pereira Gomes,Oiéler Felipe Vargas

doi:10.5380/rf.v48i4.55319

Lilian Iara Bet Stedille, Adelar Mantovani + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5380/rf.v48i4.55319

Copy DOI

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the floristic composition, diversity and ecological characteristics of riparian forest tree species under passive restoration a decade after removing Pinus and Eucalyptus genus forest plantations and comparing the data to a reference ecosystem. The study was conducted in a Mixed Ombrophilous Forest fragment in the municipality of Ponte Alta, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. A total of 30 plots of 200 m² were installed, 15 in the area under passive restoration and 15 in the reference ecosystem, covering the arboreal and regenerating strata. In these areas, rarefied richness, Shannon index, Pielou evenness, floristic dissimilarity, ecological group representativeness and the tree species dispersal syndromes were evaluated. The families with the highest specific richness were: Myrtaceae (14 species) in the reference ecosystem, and Lauraceae (eight species) in the area under passive restoration. Considering the ecological indicators used and the use of the reference ecosystem, it can be considered that the passive restoration after a decade in forest succession proved to be efficient for enlarging the riparian forests in the studied area.

Highlights

Passive restoration can be described as a technique that recommends a low level of human intervention in the environment, mainly relying on the function of restoring the ecosystem to natural processes and to successional dynamics before suspending or eliminating degradation sources (LETCHER; CHAZDON, 2009; SUDING; HOBBS 2009; REIS et al, 2014)
We evaluated the existence of floristic-structural patterns by the Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) method and by the Bray-Curtis index, followed by the STandardized REsidual Sum of Squares (STRESS) analysis value
A total of 89 species were sampled, constituents of the arboreal and regenerating strata belonging to 60 genera and 35 botanical families (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Passive restoration can be described as a technique that recommends a low level of human intervention in the environment, mainly relying on the function of restoring the ecosystem to natural processes and to successional dynamics before suspending or eliminating degradation sources (LETCHER; CHAZDON, 2009; SUDING; HOBBS 2009; REIS et al, 2014). It is considered a viable methodological alternative due to its low cost and high efficiency in sites with fast natural regeneration, generally linked to a scenario with a landscape matrix having connectivity (RODRIGUES et al, 2015).

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion