Thursday, August 9, 2007

PS 67-131: Ecological restoration strategies in Santa Helena basin, Suesca-Colombia

José Ignacio Barrera, César Valdés, Julio Mario Hoyos, Giovanny Fagua, Camilo Peraza, Beatriz Miranda, Pilar Andrade, Carolina Moreno, Diana Rondón, Natalia Montes, Eduardo Sarmiento, Juliana Jiménez, Andrea Cárdenas, Veronica Corso, Cristina Ortiz, María Catalina Cotes, Andrea Clavijo, and Maria Alejandra Arias-Escobar. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana - Escuela de Restauracion Ecologica ERE

Plantation of native species and perches were implemented as restoration strategies. Four native shrubs (Baccharis latifolia, Baccharis bogotensis, Duranta mutissi and Xylosma spiculiferum) were planted at different densities and mixtures. After planted, experiments were monitored during nine months measuring plant succession and arthropods re-colonization. Results showed that species richness increased in plants as well as in arthropods throughout the experiment, while plantation densities did not evidence any effect. Experiment was dominated by exotic grasses like Anthoxantum odoratum, Holcus lanatus and Pennisetum clandestinum, however, the last species decreased its cover at the end of the experiment. Eighteen sites were selected for crossbar perches installation. Bird record was taken by counts in fixed radius points in six of the 18 perches. Also, excrements from birds were collected to obtain seeds, after this in vitro germination was tested. Just 5 species from 31 that live in the basin were observed using the perches. Turdus fuscater was the species that contributed the most to seed dispersal. Seeds from sixteen plant species were registered in the excrements where shrubs of early successional stages were predominant. Test of seed viability showed a low germination percentage. It was found that nearness to other artificial structures like fences affects negatively the perches efficiency, while the most successful perches were located between shrubs remnants, therefore they can facilitate the regeneration of biological corridors. Is important to continue monitoring the experiments to evaluate their effectiveness, and implement these strategies for restoration of surrounding areas. Local community participated during the execution of this project.

See more of PS 67 - Restoration ecology
See more of Contributed Oral and Poster Abstracts

See more of The ESA/SER Joint Meeting (August 5 -- August 10, 2007)