A sucessão secundária na floresta estacional subtropical do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Abstract

The subtropical seasonal forests located on the brazilian southern plateau (BSP) of Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil) represent an extension from the Misiones province flora, considered one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. BSP represents the largest forested areas of the state, most of the them are secondary forests, originate from agricultural abandonment areas. In many cases, these forests are source of shelter and food for livestock. Given the importance of the BSP for biodiversity conservation and maintenance of ecological services is little knowledge how these forests regenerate after impact. This doctoral thesis has been organized into four chapters, the first three describe and evaluate the secondary succession in soils and forest vegetation after abandonment of agricultural activities. Thirtyfive preserved forests at different ages (5 to> 100 years) with low environmental variability were sampled with standardized inventory methodology, for analyzes of the soil and vegetation attributes. Specifically, the questions that this study sought to answer were: 1) how soil attributes to change (11 chemical and three texture) along a forest succession and what are the best indicators of change, 2) are linear floristic changes along succession and what floristic similaririty between ages, chronosequence, successional stages and stages of development of the forests? 3) how structural attributes of vegetation (13 attributes) changes along a chronosequences and what the best indicators of changes? The results showed that the chemical properties of soil and structure vegetation changed significantly and not predictable for a single attribute along chronosequences forests. Only discriminant analysis aproach was possible to characterize the ages of forest using a group of soil and structure attibutes. The floristic composition also varied substantially where few species can be listed as indicators of a particular stage of development. Floristic patterns emerged only when pooled data from aged forests. The last chapter evaluated the effect of cattle grazing in 35 forests with different ages (5 to > 100 years) and three levels of impact (forests with current impact of cattle grazing, forests excluding grazing 10 years ago and forests without cattle grazing). Standardized inventory in all these forests were employed for analysis of soil and vegetation in order to compare and evaluate the effect and magnitude of the impact of grazing on forest ecosystem. The most adverse effect ocurred in the soil (chemical and texture) than in the floristic composition and structure of vegetation. However, the impact of grazing on soil and tree component can be recovered in 10 years after sttoped the activity in forest ecosystems. These results are important to impact monitoring, restoration and sustainable management projects in the largest and most endangered ecological corridor in Rio Grande do Sul State.