Mimosa tenuiflora: potencial para uso em programas de restauração florestal da caatinga

Abstract

Restoration programs of Caatinga have their success constantly hampered by the current state of degradation of this biome. Its vegetation is constantly cleared for timber use, animal feed and firewood. Additionally, there is a tendency to compensate the lack of native plants by introducing exotic species. In this scenario, the objective of this work was to evaluate the potential use of the native tree Mimosa tenuiflora in restoration programs of Caatinga. We studied the following aspects of M. tenuiflora performance: 1) germination capacity; 2) growth patterns in the greenhouse; 3) Field survival; 4) biomass recovery after herbivory and 5) Facilitation capacity of adult trees in respect to the establishment of new species. The results showed good performance of M. tenuiflora and sometimes better in comparison to other native and exotic species. It presented excellent germination rate for most treatments to which it was subjected, including mechanical scarification. In the greenhouse, it showed good growth even when subjected to water stress. In the field experiment, its survival rates was 100% in almost all treatments. When attacked by herbivores, M. tenuiflora demonstrated biomass recovery, even after two consecutive cut events. About facilitation, two of the three species tested were facilitated, highlighting a species-specific relationship. In conclusion, M. tenuiflora has great potential to be successfully used in restoration programs because it can be easily obtained and produced requiring few resources for establishment and survival.