NEGLECTED COMPARTMENTS IN CARBON ESTIMATION AND IN UNDERSTANDING THE FUNCTIONING OF RESTORED SEMIDECIDUOUS SEASONAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS: UNDERSTORY, NECROMASS AND SOIL

• Grant number: 24/16439-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Vera Lex Engel
• Grantee: Antonio Wesly Batista
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Studies on carbon accumulation in tropical forests primarily focus on the tree compartment, while the understory and its associated life forms, as well as deadwood and soil, are often overlooked. This can lead to an underestimation of the ecosystem's potential for carbon sequestration. We will assess the potential error in carbon stock estimates for restored forests when neglecting the understory, deadwood, and soil through a systematic literature review, and analyze the contribution of these compartments to carbon accumulation across different restoration systems of the Seasonal Semideciduous Forest (SSF). We will evaluate three ecological restoration treatments: passive restoration, direct seeding, and high-diversity seedling planting, along with a reference forest. The experiment was established between 1998 and 1999 at two sites within UNESP's experimental farms in Botucatu, SP. Subplots will be allocated, and destructive methods will be used to quantify the biomass of the understory and deadwood, along with monthly litterfall collection and decomposition rates using the litter bag method. All material will be weighed in the field and later dried in the lab to quantify dry biomass, followed by carbon and nutrient content analysis. For soil sampling, we will dig trenches 1 meter deep and collect samples from different layers to analyze carbon stock and determine the relative contribution of stable carbon in the system through 13C isotopic analysis. In addition to gaining a better understanding of the functioning of restored ecosystems, we aim to improve carbon quantification methods in restored forests.