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The introduction of plant species is a central topic in restoration ecology research. It is an effective technique to restore degraded ecosystems that present low resilience, such as the rupestrian grasslands. Once implemented, the transplantation of native species is monitored only in the short term, whereas long-term monitoring should be preferred to identify potential changes in the restoration results. Our study is the first assessment of the transplantation success of 10 native shrub species in a degraded area of rupestrian grasslands, 8.5 years after transplantation. Survival, growth, and recruitment were assessed in 2004, 2008, and 2012. For all species, survival, growth, and recruitment varied over time. Although some species exhibited great mortality during the last 4 years, they also showed a great resprouting ability. Our results highlighted a trade-off between survival and recruitment capacity. Most of the studied species showed remarkable ability to adapt to the extreme environment of the degraded area, persisting either through surviving or recruiting new individuals. We list nine native species, which are well appropriated for rupestrian grasslands restoration. In constrained environments, survival and resistance should represent criteria to select species for restoration project rather than fast growth and ground cover.

ResumoOs campos rupestres da Cadeia do Espinhaço destacam-se por sua grande biodiversidade e alta proporção de espécies endêmicas. Estudos sobre a restauração ecológica desse ecossistema são urgentemente necessários, tendo em vista sua resiliência extremamente baixa e especial vulnerabilidade frente à degradação do solo. Investigamos experimentalmente o desempenho de sobrevivência, crescimento em altura e fenologia reprodutiva de mudas de oito espécies nativas de campo rupestre plantadas em áreas degradadas quartzíticas. O plantio foi feito em 2011, e as mudas foram monitoradas por 12 a 18 meses. Todas as espécies apresentaram elevada sobrevivência (90-100%) durante o período considerado e crescimento significativo em altura, o que indicou o estabelecimento bem-sucedido e adaptação às condições rigorosas encontradas nessas áreas degradadas. Além disso, quatro espécies arbustivas completaram o ciclo reprodutivo, atingindo a dispersão de sementes com aproximadamente dois anos de idade. Os resultados indicam que o plantio de mudas de espécies nativas deve ser considerado como uma importante ferramenta na restauração de áreas degradadas quartzíticas em campos rupestres.Palavras-chave: Cerrado, crescimento de mudas, facilitação, restauração ecológica, Serra do Cipó, solos quartzíticos. AbstractThe rupestrian grasslands stand out for their exceptional biodiversity and high proportion of endemic species. Ecological restoration studies on this ecosystem are urgently needed in view of its extremely low resilience and special vulnerability to soil degradation. We experimentally investigated the performance of survival, height growth, and reproductive phenology of eight rupestrian grassland native species, planted in quartzitic degraded areas. Planting took place in 2011 and the saplings were monitored for 12 to 18 months. All species presented high survival (90-100%) during the sampled time interval, with significant height growth, which suggested the successful establishment and adaptation to the harsh conditions found in these degraded areas. In addition, four shrubs completed the reproductive cycle, reaching seed dispersion at approximately two years age. The results indicate that planting saplings of native species should be considered an important tool for the restoration of quartzitic degraded areas in rupestrian grasslands.

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