Premium
Topsoil translocation for Brazilian savanna restoration: propagation of herbs, shrubs, and trees
Author(s) -
Ferreira Maxmiller C.,
Walter Bruno M. T.,
Vieira Daniel L. M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
restoration ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1526-100X
pISSN - 1061-2971
DOI - 10.1111/rec.12252
Subject(s) - topsoil , shrub , vegetation (pathology) , floristics , agronomy , biology , fabaceae , agroforestry , botany , ecology , species richness , soil water , medicine , pathology
Topsoil translocation has been used for vegetation restoration throughout the world, but it has been poorly tested within savannas. This study describes Brazilian savanna (cerrado) regeneration for the first 3 years following topsoil translocation. The topsoil was stripped from 2.5 ha of savanna and spread on 1 ha of an abandoned laterite quarry in the Federal District, Brazil. We assessed vegetation structure and species composition in 18 circular plots (3.14/m 2 ) after 5 and 15 months and in 30 circular plots after 37 months. In the last floristic survey, the coverage of herbs was estimated using the step‐point method. To verify the source of regeneration, a total of 181 shrubs and trees were excavated over the first 2 surveys. After 3 years, 24, 40, and 21 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, respectively, had been recorded by the surveys. Of the 33 families found, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Asteraceae were the most representative. At 5 and 15 months, 91 and 83% of the individuals (shrubs and trees combined) were derived from resprouting, respectively. Shrub and tree stem density reached 3.2/m 2 at 5 months, but declined to 0.5/m 2 at 37 months. By the final survey, native and exotic grasses completely covered the ground. Topsoil translocation was effective for the propagation of native herbs, shrubs, and trees, despite the need to control invasive grasses. The large number of shrub and tree resprouts from roots suggests that the bud bank is an important component of the topsoil for savanna restoration.