Monitoramento De Fauna Como Indicador De Restauração Florestal De Uma Área Em Ambiente De Mineração De Bauxita Na Zona Da Mata Mineira

Complementing seedling planting with nucleation techniques increases forest restoration potential in areas around bauxite mining

“…The novelty of this investigation was to observe how complementary nucleation techniques, in addition to seedling planting in rows, can contribute to an increase in the species richness of standing vegetation. The floristic results of this study reflect the contributions of restoration techniques in the natural regeneration of forests, such as seeds from soil transposition, direct seeding, and green manuring; and propagules dispersed by planted trees and the attraction of seed‐dispersing fauna by zoochoric species due to implanting artificial perches (Aslan et al, 2019; Corlett, 2017; Fonseca & Martins, 2021; Viani et al, 2015). The standing vegetation survey conducted in both areas demonstrates that species richness in SPN is nearly double that observed in SP, indicating that nucleation techniques, in addition to seedling planting in rows, have the potential to enhance species diversity, especially among zoochoric species.…”

“…R. rosifolius is an exotic species, originally from Oceania that bears red fleshy fruits and is commonly dispersed by frugivorous birds (e.g., Penelope sp., Cracidae; Antiqueira & Romero, 2016; Case et al, 2022). The presence of Penelope obscura was verified in SPN in fauna monitoring studies using camera traps (Fonseca & Martins, 2021). Despite representing less than 0.8% of the zoochoric individuals recorded in SPN, monitoring and controlling R. rosifolius is important to prevent these individuals from causing interference in the establishment of native species and, consequently, affecting the structure and assembly of the plant community in the restoration area (Weidlich et al, 2020).…”

“…Thus, the floristic results found in the census of standing vegetation show the contributions of the implemented restoration techniques. For example, the seeds that arrived in the area due to topsoil transposition, direct seeding, and green manuring; propagules dispersed by planted trees; attraction of seed‐dispersing fauna by zoochoric species due to implanting artificial perches; and species that do not belong to the restoration techniques and thus arrived via seed dispersal in the SPN (Aslan et al, 2019; Corlett, 2017; Fonseca et al, 2023; Fonseca & Martins, 2021; Viani et al, 2015).…”

“…In this sense, these structures function as springboards by providing shelter, rest, and foraging for birds (Freitas et al, 2022). A fauna monitoring study using camera traps and active searching for tracks and signs conducted by Fonseca and Martins, (2021) in the SPN area confirmed the use of artificial perches by avifauna and recorded the presence of many frugivorous species. There are post-dispersal processes that are decisive in forming plant communities, such as germination, seed predation, and natural loss of viability (Levine & Murrell, 2003;Martins et al, 2015); however, the increase in seed rain increases the probability of successful colonization of the species and strengthens the potential of forest restoration (Alencar & Guilherme, 2020;Guidetti et al, 2022).…”

“…Restoration techniques may affect the soil seed bank differently, for example, nucleation techniques such as direct seeding and topsoil transposition introduce new propagules in the area under restoration and contribute to increasing species richness and including different life forms (e.g., herbaceous plants, shrubs, trees, and vines; Bechara et al, 2016; Fonseca, 2021). Artificial perches can increase seed rain (Freitas et al, 2022; Guidetti et al, 2022), while planting zoochoric seedling species can stimulate flora–fauna interactions and consequently enhance seed dispersal, especially in tropical regions where most trees are dispersed by animals (Coelho et al, 2022; Fonseca & Martins, 2021; Martins et al, 2022; Silva et al, 2019). Furthermore, the presence of native species strengthens the resilience potential of the soil seed bank, especially in the face of disturbances (Martins et al, 2021; Silva, Martins, & Balestrin, 2021).…”