The introduction of nurse species on degraded sites of Permanently Protected Areas represents a useful strategy for vegetation recovery in riparian forest. Species of the genus Baccharis (Asteraceae) have been documented as potential nurse plants being able of restructuring the native plant community. This study was aimed to evaluate the potential nursing role of Baccharis dracunculifolia in the recovery of a native plant community of a degraded Atlantic rainforest in a short-time period. The study was developed in two abandoned pasture areas in a riparian forest in the River Piranga basin, one in which B. dracunculifolia was planted (Restored treatment) to promote restoration, and a second area with no intervention (Degraded = Control treatment). Sampling took place 18 months after the planting of B. dracunculifolia. We set up 20 plots of 2 × 2 m in each treatment type (n = 40 plots), where all plant species were recorded (with the exception of the introduced Baccharis individuals and grasses), classifying them as native, ruderal, or alien. Plant richness was twice higher in the Restored treatment than the Degraded treatment. Furthermore, the observed values of alpha, gamma and beta diversity were also higher in Restored treatment. Restored treatment had 17 exclusive native species, while the Degraded treatment had only three non-exclusive native species. In addition, fewer ruderal and alien species were recorded in the restored plots with B. dracunculifolia compared to degraded plots. We concluded that, even in a short time period, planting B. dracunculifolia had a positive effect on promoting the assembly of the native plant community and possibly decreasing the chances of invasion by alien species.
Fire is an ecological factor that strongly influences plant communities and functional traits. Communities respond differently to fire, either decreasing or increasing in flammability and resource acquisition strategies. This study aimed to investigate the influence of fire over traits associated with flammability and the plant economic spectrum in a stressful and infertile mountainous grassland located in the Espinhaço mountain range in Brazil. Non-graminoid plant species were sampled in 60 5 m × 5 m plots distributed in three fire frequency categories. We measured several traits related to flammability—leaf dry matter content (LDMC), twig dry matter content, leaf area, bark thickness, branching architecture, plant height, leaf toughness (LT), and specific leaf area (SLA). Traits responded differently to the increase in fire frequency. For instance, the LDMC and LT were lower while the SLA was higher at high fire frequencies, indicating a trend towards reduced heat release and fire residence time. This shift resulted in the dominance of plants with a relatively more acquisitive strategy. This study brings evidence that traits respond coordinately towards a reduction of flammability with the increase in fire frequency and are strong indicators of the filtering role that fire plays as a disturbance on rupestrian grassland vegetation.
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