Effect of forest revegetation in litterfall, Seropedica - RJ

Natural barriers to regeneration requires human intervention to facilitate and restore the functionality of ecosystem processes in forest environments, such as the input of biomass that is responsible for maintaining the fertility and activity of soil organisms. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of revegetation on forest litter supply in a degraded area in Seropedica, RJ. The study was conducted on a degraded area of 1 ha where, in 1994, was promoted revegetation on one half of the area with a high density of planting tree species, and on the other half remained natural regeneration (control). In 2000, each half were randomly deployed three installments of 25 m(2) containing four tapered litter collectors, with the intake monitored for a year. In the laboratory the collected material was sorted, oven dried and quantified its mass. With six years, the revegetation deployed in degraded area was effective in promoting an increase in the supply of plant biomass and reproductive propagules, which demonstrates the existence of barriers to natural regeneration and the need for human intervention to reverse old degrading practices.