Restoration Strategies in an Area Invaded by Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn

Thayane Ferreira Carvalho,Israel Marinho Pereira,Anderson Cleiton José,Soraya Alvarenga Botelho,Miranda Titon

doi:10.1590/2179-8087.114617

Thayane Ferreira Carvalho, Israel Marinho Pereira + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8087.114617

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Pteridium aquilinum is an invasive species that stands out for its aggressiveness, invading pastures, agricultural areas and forests. In order to improve this situation, several techniques have been tested, although not common to tropical climate areas. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the survival of eleven tree species according to their density, planting model, and way of bracken removal, in the restoration of an Atlantic Forest area invaded by the species after a fire. The experiment was installed in a randomized block design, in a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (planting × density × bracken removal methods). Bracken cover and survival were evaluated nine months after planting. In conclusion, more densified plantations with fast-growing species, together with bracken removal by harrowing, were more effective in establishing the species in bracken-dominated areas.

Highlights

Invasive species greatly impact the invaded sites, because in establishing themselves they develop self-regenerative populations, occupying the space of the native species in order to alter the structure of the ecosystem and its natural ecological processes (Leão et al, 2011; Vilà et al, 2011)
The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival of eleven tree species according to their density, planting model, and way of bracken removal, in the restoration of an Atlantic Forest area invaded by the species after a fire
The experiment was installed in a randomized block design, in a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement

Summary

Introduction

Invasive species greatly impact the invaded sites, because in establishing themselves they develop self-regenerative populations, occupying the space of the native species in order to alter the structure of the ecosystem and its natural ecological processes (Leão et al, 2011; Vilà et al, 2011). In Brazil, there are hundreds of species with invasive potential, such as some types of African grasses and brackens of the genus Pteridium (Matos & Pivello, 2009) The latter has been a worldwide problem, invading pastures, agricultural areas, and degraded or disturbed forest environments (Pakeman et al, 2002). The greatest problem that it causes consists in the dominance of areas in the initial stage of succession because, when forming a dense canopy with a high accumulation of litter, it hinders the arrival of propagules, which in the long run, leads to the impoverishment of the seed bank (Sax et al, 2005) This causes intense damages to the ecosystem, such as the stagnation of successional processes, which in turn leads to a mono-dominant community with almost no diversity (Alday et al, 2013)

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