BIOINDICATORS OF SOIL QUALITY IN A FOREST RESTORATION GRADIENT

• Grant number: 09/14954-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: January 01, 2010
• End date: June 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso
• Grantee: Rafael Leandro de Figueiredo Vasconcellos
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Riparian forests have suffered major reductions in Brazil, and very few studies have focused on indicators of soil quality in these environments. These changes may affect the microbial biomass influence on nutrient cycling process, the physical characteristics and also the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and soil fauna. The AMF are important for maintaining a healthy soil. They are responsible for improving soil aggregation, increasing absorption of nutrients by plants, stimulate the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, increases the soil carbon content and also can serve as nutrients for mesofauna. The fauna, together with the microorganisms are responsible for decomposition of organic matter and by nutrient cycling. Thus, in order to understand the characteristics of biological interactions, and to verify the recovery process, three areas with different stages of recovery were selected (4, 8 and 20 years) and will be compared with an intact native semideciduous forest from the physical, chemical and biological attributes. We expect to find different interactions between these attributes and identify potential bioindicators of soil quality or recovery time. With this knowledge you can generate new studies in Brazil, and develop methods to accelerate environmental recovery.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

VASCONCELLOS, Rafael Leandro de Figueiredo. Soil quality bioindicators of an environmental restoration gradient. 2012. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC) Piracicaba.