Abstract
In the east of the province of Buenos Aires, the mining of calcareous subsoil materials causes the loss of cover of native forests dominated by Celtis tala, one of the main forest formations in the region. The objective of this study was to evaluate the tala plantation techniques in areas of abandoned quarries, to improve the ecological rehabilitation of such areas. Our hypothesis is that survival and growth are negatively affected by the low availability of fertile soil, the competition with herbaceous plants and high the direct solar radiation incidence. We carried out a field study to estimate survival, diameter at the stem base and height of tala plants as a response to weeding and shelter in a gradient of fertile soil availability. Survival increased with soil depth, and we observed a positive response of growth rate to weeding, which was greater at high fertile soil availability. Only a weak positive effect of shelter on growth was observed at higher fertile soil availability. The loss of forest cover caused by mining cannot be reversed with simple planting techniques. It is necessary to understand the ecophysiological processes that limit the establishment of tala and to plan the management of the remaining fertile soil. Other local tree species should also be assayed.
Highlights
In the east of the province of Buenos Aires, the mining of calcareous subsoil materials causes the loss of cover of native forests dominated by Celtis tala, one of the main forest formations in the region
Our hypothesis is that survival and growth are negatively affected by the low availability of fertile soil, the competition with herbaceous plants and high the direct solar radiation incidence
We carried out a field study to estimate survival, diameter at the stem base and height of tala plants as a response to weeding and shelter in a gradient of fertile soil availability
Summary
Los bosques de tala se extienden sobre cordones de conchilla formados por ingresiones marinas del Cuaternario (Cavallotto 2009), los cuales se orientan de manera paralela a la costa del Río de la Plata y forman parches de extensión variable en una matriz de zonas bajas donde se desarrollan pastizales y pajonales (Goya et al 1992; Arturi and Goya 2004). Debido a su biodiversidad fueron incluidos en el programa El Hombre y la Biosfera (MABUNESCO) con la creación del Parque Costero del Sur entre las localidades de Magdalena y Punta Indio (Arturi and Goya 2004). Después de la extracción de conchilla quedan alteradas las condiciones de relieve positivo y el buen drenaje del suelo, además de que se remueven los horizontes superficiales (i.e., los de mayor fertilidad y capacidad de retención de agua, en comparación con los horizontes subsuperficiales, donde predomina la conchilla). La evapotranspiración potencial es de 750 a 800 mm anuales, y existe una alternancia entre períodos húmedos en los que se producen inundaciones y períodos de fuertes sequías (Arturi and Goya 2004)
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