Mimosa scabrella Benth. as Facilitator of Forest Successional Advance in the South of Brazil

Abstract

Pioneer species have the potential to colonize disturbed environments, contributing to the establishment of other species and driving the dynamics and advancement of the structure of forest communities. The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of floristic-structural composition in the regenerating stratum of communities formed in the Mimosa scabrella Benth. understory with different ages. The study was carried out in four municipalities located in the Santa Catarina State South Plateau, on communities with different successional ages. The plot method was applied to the survey of all arboreal individuals with height ≥ 10 cm. The floristic-structural patterns found were compatible with the expected trend of Araucaria Forest successional dynamic, showing higher richness and abundance of regenerating individuals in the older understories.

Passive restoration in Araucaria Forest: useful ecological indicators in monitoring successional advancement in exotic tree plantation landscapes

“…Thus, C. aschersoniana was an indicator species at this site due to its usage restriction during past logging. Another species worth mentioning is Mimosa scabrella , which is a short‐cycle tree that composes altered forests (Machado et al 2006), and can be considered as a facilitator species of successional advancement in AF (Ferreira et al 2019).…”

“…This predominance causes the forest ecosystem to have less diversity, along with a low proportion of rare and endangered species due to the demands in relation to the ecosystem they inhabit (Nascimento & Laurance 2006). At the same time, the abundance of pioneers tends to shrink over time due to their short cycle and for playing the role of facilitators in the succession process, preparing microhabitats for arrival of more demanding species successively (Reis & Kageyama 2007; Ferreira et al 2019).…”

Caracterização da madeira de Mimosa scabrella para seleção de árvores matrizes

“…Pode ainda ser empregada na produção de celulose e papel, gomas (pela presença de galactomananas nas sementes), extração de taninos da casca, e usos no paisagismo. Além de possuir potencial como facilitadora na restauração de áreas degradadas, essa espécie arbórea nativa possibilita a obtenção de mel de melato de bracatinga, utilizado para consumo, possuindo também potencial anti-inflamatório, antibactericida e antioxidante (Ferreira et al 2019, Seraglio et al 2017.…”