Riparian forest restoration effects on carbon processing in tropical streams

• Grant number: 24/17455-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Silvio Frosini de Barros Ferraz
• Grantee: João Miguel Merces Bega
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/03478-0 - Ecohydrological functions of restored forest at Atlantic Forest biome (HIDROFLORES), AP.TEM

Abstract

In southeastern Brazil, the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes are experiencing intensive restoration with the goal of recovering ecosystems and biodiversity. The revegetation of riparian areas is crucial for preserving the structure and function of headwater streams, which are essential for sustaining major rivers. However, understanding carbon processing in these environments has been largely overlooked in tropical regions, despite its importance for informing forest restoration strategies. This project will evaluate the effects of riparian forest restoration in tropical catchments on in-stream carbon processing by measuring key ecosystem functions: organic matter decomposition, whole-reach metabolism, and gaseous carbon fluxes. The present study will be conducted in the Corumbataí River Basin (characterized by low resilience) and the Upper Paraíba Valley (characterized by high resilience) watersheds. This research aims to encompass a gradient of ecological conditions, reflecting the varying durations of revegetation in these environments with contrasting histories of disturbance. In each one of these two watersheds a total of fifteen independent catchments will be selected to include reference, restored, and impacted headwater streams. Organic matter decomposition rates will be assessed using the cotton-strip technique. Aquatic metabolism will be estimated through mathematical modeling of temporal changes in dissolved oxygen concentration. Gaseous carbon fluxes will be measured with the headspace equilibration method. A range of landscape metrics, riparian vegetation parameters, and environmental factors will be evaluated to characterize both the terrestrial and aquatic compartments. The primary contribution of this proposal is to generate information that will support efforts to restore riparian forests in headwater catchments, thereby enhancing ecosystem functions related to in-stream carbon processing in Brazil and the broader tropics.