Periodic flooding and edaphic factors shape Erythrina fusca dominance in riparian forests in the Pantanal wetland

Resilience of Aboveground Biomass of Secondary Forests Following the Abandonment of Gold Mining Activity in the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon

“…Given that species diversity usually starts near zero with no woody plants, due to the elimination of vegetation cover [39,41,42] and severe soil degradation [20,43,44,54] by goldmining, our results highlight the lower impact of suction pumping mining on landscape structure, which promotes an increase over time as new species become established [79], and facilitates the faster recovery across the landscape [80]. The lower species diversity after mining abandonment may be explained by a higher dominance (IVI > 10, Table 3) or monodominance [30,95] of pioneer species in 0-5-year-old stands, due to higher tolerance of certain species to unfavorable soil conditions [95] generated by goldmining activities in the study area. Although monodominance in early secondary succession in Amazonian forests is rare [95], it is usually characterized by low tree species diversity and is linked with low soil fertility [95,96].…”

“…The lower species diversity after mining abandonment may be explained by a higher dominance (IVI > 10, Table 3) or monodominance [30,95] of pioneer species in 0-5-year-old stands, due to higher tolerance of certain species to unfavorable soil conditions [95] generated by goldmining activities in the study area. Although monodominance in early secondary succession in Amazonian forests is rare [95], it is usually characterized by low tree species diversity and is linked with low soil fertility [95,96]. This agrees with our results (especially with respect to heavy machinery) because goldmining in the Peruvian Amazon generates extreme soil disturbance [41].…”