Tree plantation is the most used technique for ecological restoration, although passive restoration requires a lower investment of resources. This research aimed to compare the composition and structure of the community of regenerant plants in areas under restoration through Assisted Natural Regeneration and mixed native Tree Planting, in the same area. We randomly placed 12 plots of 100 m² each and sampled all the regenerating individuals found within them. We compared both restoration methods regarding growth pattern, dispersal syndromes, and successional groups. In both methodologies, trees and shrubs were the most abundant growth forms. The pioneer successional class was the most abundant in number of individuals for both treatments. We concluded that the two restoration methods allowed the regeneration of native species. We propose that Assisted Natural Regeneration is a viable restoration strategy, capable of boosting the initial processes of the community, especially in a matrix surrounded by remaining forests.

Direct seeding is a promising and low-cost restoration technique. To avoid wasting seeds, the selection of species with high field performance in their establishment can increase efficiency. We aimed to identify groups of forest species with the ability for direct seeding in a seasonal forest, investigate taxonomic similarity effects on species behavior regarding seeds’ and seedlings’ early functional traits, and classify species based on their probability of success by direct seeding. A planting system of 38 seasonal forest species was implemented at a density of 250,000 seeds ha−1. The emergence was monitored over 720 days, and all individuals were identified, tagged, counted, and measured for height (H) and diameter at collar height (DCH). We evaluated early traits of seed vigor (field seed emergence), seedling performance, probability of success, and species autoecology. Species’ ability for direct seeding was more related to the level of species phylogeny than to their family. Pioneer and non-pioneer species demonstrated similar abilities for direct seeding associated with field emergence, seedling abundance, and persistence. Field seed emergence traits influenced species’ ability for direct seeding more than seedling survival or growth. Species’ ability for direct seeding was related to early seed vigor traits expressed by field seed emergence and was independent of their density.

A pandemia SARS-Cov-2 estabeleceu a necessidade de adoção de medidas restritivas para conter a disseminação do vírus. Em 2021, devido ao elevado número de casos de COVID-19 no município de Araraquara, Brasil, e após o esgotamento das vagas hospitalares em 2021, foi anunciado um bloqueio. Analisamos o efeito do distanciamento social dessa cidade, utilizando dados fornecidos pela prefeitura municipal ao longo de um período total de 90 dias. Usamos esses dados em uma tabela de vida, uma importante ferramenta que avalia o impacto de doenças na dinâmica populacional de uma espécie. Os resultados indicaram uma taxa básica de mortalidade de 0,0138 no período analisado e uma redução considerável no número de casos infectados e óbitos por COVID-19 após 24 dias de isolamento. Nossos resultados mostraram a eficácia do distanciamento social em conter a propagação da doença, com redução de 80% no número de óbitos, bem como a utilidade da tábua de vida como ferramenta útil para análise de dados.

In Brazil, most degraded areas are occupied by exotic and invasive species, which require alternatives for their management. We evaluated the allelopathic effects of Waltheria indica in the laboratory from aqueous extracts of leaves and roots on the germination of the species Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce), Urochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) RDWebster (brachiaria) and Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex DC.) Mattos (yellow Ipe). We collected adult one-year-old Waltheria indica shrubs in ecological restoration areas by direct seeding. We used two treatments with aqueous extracts of leaves and roots and a control without extract, with ten repetitions of 10 seeds per treatment, totaling 600 seeds per test species. Germination and use of tetrazolium assays to evaluate the potential respiratory activity of the roots were used. The aqueous extract of W.indica leaves affected the number of germinated seeds of all test species, while the aqueous extract of roots affected only L. sativa and H. chrysotrichus. There were no significant differences between treatments (leaf and root extracts) in species germination. The aqueous extracts of Waltheria indica leaves and roots affected germination and cellular respiration of the studied species, mainly in Lactuca sativa. The identification of W. indica allelopathic compounds may be an initial step so that in the future new bioherbicides are produced from extracts of this species, or even that its seeds can be sown together with non-sensitive native species, aiming for control of exotic species in ecological restoration projects.

Though they comprise 1 % of plant species on the planet, plant parasites are poorly known. They have been considered a threat to cultivated plants and to the conservation of host species in natural areas. Due to the complex interactions they have with their hosts, understanding their biology is fundamental to the development of conservation strategies for both parasite species and their hosts. We sampled two populations of the root parasite Scybalium fungiforme (Balanophoraceae) in seasonal tropical forest fragments to identify its host species and their functional attributes. Among the hosts, Croton floribundus seems to be preferred (68 % of parasitized plants), while four liana species were complementary hosts (32 %). Host species preference differed sharply among fragments and seems to be related to the successional stage of these forests. The hosts C. floribundus and the four liana species are perennial, fast growing and have large vessels, all of which are attributes that enable high water and nutrient acquisition efficiency. Despite a lack of clear host specificity at the species level, functional convergence among parasitized species suggests that host specificity is mediated by functional traits.

O conhecimento sobre alelopatia pode auxiliar no sistema de cultivo e feitos sobre interações positiva ou negativa entre as plantas. Sendo assim de grande importância o seu conhecimento para auxiliar nas estratégias ecológicas e de manejo da seringueira (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.), espécie de destaque econômico no setor de látex mundial. O objetivo do trabalho foi testar o efeito alelopático da seringueira (H. brasiliensis) na germinação da espécie bioindicadora Alface (Lactuca sativa L.) visando a detecção de possíveis efeitos alelopáticos. Para isso foi utilizado extrato aquoso de folhas adultas de H. brasiliensis na concentração de 200g/L. Foi utilizado um tratamento com extrato aquoso de folhas e um controle sem extrato, com dez repetições de 10 sementes por tratamento. Foi empregado ensaio de germinação para avaliação de porcentagem de germinação (G%), comprimento da radícula e atividade da respiração potencial radicular das plântulas com uso do tetrazólio. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos ao teste de Mann-Whitney (p<0,05). O extrato aquoso de H. brasiliensis afetou o número de sementes germinadas e a respiração celular. No comprimento da raiz não houve diferença significativa. A identificação de compostos alelopáticos do bioensaio fornece dados preliminares para compreensão do comportamento da H. brasiliensis, como também na tomada de decisões estratégicas sobre a interação e dinâmica das comunidades vegetais.

We evaluated band planting (BP) to assess its efficiency in the early restoring of ecological processes using a multi-criteria protocol known as Framework for the Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (MESMIS) to obtain the ecological functionality consolidation index (EFCI). We sampled a 4.3 ha-1 plantation, aged 3 years, with BP, 1.5-m space between bands, 2-m space between seedlings, and a 3.5-m band of natural regeneration, ten areas with conventional planting (CP), aged 5 years, in the coverage and diversity models, and ten areas restored by natural regeneration (NR), aged 4 years. Sampling was carried out in 36 10 m x 10 m blocks, totaling 144 plots, 15 blocks for BP, 11 blocks for CP, and 10 blocks for NR. Species richness was similar between the areas; however, there was a significant difference between BP and the other areas (CP and NR) by the Dunn’s test (p < 0.05). The NR area had the highest diversity (H' = 3.03; J' = 0.76), followed by BP (H' = 2.56; J' = 0.62), and CP (H' = 2.0; J' = 0.48), whereas the BP area (4.348 ind.ha-1) had the highest density. The BP had the highest EFCI for diversity (0.100), control, and management (0.067) compared to NR, for diversity (0.022), and similar to CP in soil protection and nutrient cycling (0.047). BP was efficient in recovering early ecological processes under conditions similar to fragments in the initial stage of succession.

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