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Plant colonization in a gravel mine revegetated with Stylosanthes spp. in a Neotropical savanna

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Abstract

Tree establishment on degraded sites has failed in many tropical areas due to invasive plants and competition with herbs. The cultivation of plants that are capable of maintaining a site can avoid the dominance of invasive species. Some native species of the genus Stylosanthes (family Fabaceae) have been reported to effectively block invasive plants off ecosystems that are under restoration in Brazil. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the influence of perennial Stylosanthes spp. on plant colonization in a rehabilitated gravel mine in the Brazilian savanna region. Half of the mining area was sown with a mixture of three perennial Styloshantes species (treatment), while half of it remained unsown (control). The line intercept method was used to sample recruited plants within the mine after five years of site rehabilitation. Results showed that 31 plant species recruited in the gravel mine: 27 in the area sown with Stylosanthes spp. and 17 in the control area. Native species contributed for 47 % of the importance value index (IVI) in the treated area and 26 % in the control area. Two invasive exotic grasses made up 31 % of the plant community IVI in the treated area and 59 % in the control area. Perennial Stylosanthes spp. were supposed to block the development of incoming plants, but their presence actually allowed the area to be colonized by 1.6-fold more plant species than the control area. Ultimately, the area covered with Stylosanthes spp. evolved into a plant community that was more diverse and less dominated by exotic species than the control area.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the Ecological Pole Foundation of Brasília for granting us a permit (# 003/2003) to survey the study areas, the staff of the herbarium for helping with plant identification, and the referees who improved the quality of the manuscript. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest, and that the experiment complies with the current laws of Brazil, where the experiment was performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Brasília, CP 04401, Brasília, DF, 70910-970, Brazil

    Carolina Rizzi Starr, Rodrigo Studart Corrêa & John Du Vall Hay

  2. Botanic Institute of São Paulo, IBOT, CP 3005, Água Funda, São Paulo, SP, 01061-950, Brazil

    Tarcíso de Sousa Filgueiras

  3. Catholic University of Brasília, Campus II, PGA, Brasília, DF, CEP 70790-160, Brazil

    Perseu Fernando dos Santos

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  1. Carolina Rizzi Starr
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Correspondence to Rodrigo Studart Corrêa.

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Starr, C.R., Corrêa, R.S., Filgueiras, T.S. et al. Plant colonization in a gravel mine revegetated with Stylosanthes spp. in a Neotropical savanna. Landscape Ecol Eng 9, 189–201 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-012-0196-1

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