IMPACT OF SEEDLING REMOVAL ON NATURAL REGENERATION IN THE SOUTHERN ATLANTIC FOREST REMNANT

ABSTRACT The use of a forest seedling bank has been recommended as an alternative to increase species richness in forest nurseries, as well as to produce seedlings of species that are diffi cult to propagate, especially those that belong to the late secondary and climax successional groups, which are not as commercially available. However, little is known about the impact of this method on forest dynamics. Thus, the present study aimed to examine the resilience and dynamics of a seedling bank in a remnant of a subtropical seasonal forest belonging to the Atlantic Forest Biome when subjected to different intensities of seedling removal. The experiment was conducted in a random block design in a factorial scheme (5 × 4), with treatments composed of fi ve intensities of removal of individuals from the seedling bank and the four seasons. The treatments were distributed into 18 blocks and the experimental units were composed of 1 m × 2.5 m plots. The resilience of the seedling community was assessed by examining effects of the fi ve removal intensities. The dynamics between the evaluation periods within each treatment were verifi ed by comparing the number of species and seedlings present before the treatments with those in the other evaluation periods. After one year, we found that tree-shrub vegetation had a partial capacity for restoration after withdrawal of individuals from the seedling bank. Our results show that the impact on the regeneration community can absorb the effects of up to 25% seedling removal. The technique of seedling transplantation may be recommended for species that have abundant regeneration, such as Actinostemon concolor, Eugenia rostrifolia, Trichilia claussenii and Nectandra megapotamica.