Efeito da fertilização e da precipitação no crescimento de dez espécies de plantas não-arboreas do Cerrado

Abstract

Ecological restoration of the Cerrado biome faces challenges related to the high functional diversity of species, environmental degradation caused by land-use change, and invasion by exotic grasses. Despite the increasing number of restoration initiatives in savanna ecosystems, studies investigating the effects of fertilization on the growth of native non-arboreal species, particularly herbaceous and shrubby species, remain scarce. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of fertilization and precipitation on the growth of native non-arboreal Cerrado species in a restoration area located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Five shrubby species—Aldama arenaria, Campomanesia adamantium, Cochlospermum regium, Psidium australe, and Solanum lycocarpum—and five herbaceous species—Ananas ananassoides, Andropogon leucostachyus, Aristida jubata, Imperata brasiliensis, and Loudetiopsis chrysothrix—were analyzed. Individuals were monitored monthly over an 18-month period in plots subjected to two treatments: no fertilization and NPK fertilization. The relative growth rate in volume (RGRᵥ) was analyzed using linear mixed-effects models with random intercepts for each individual, including final interval volume, fertilization treatment, and accumulated precipitation between growth intervals as fixed effects. The results showed that most species exhibited responses primarily associated with individual size, whereas the effects of fertilization were species-specific. Precipitation influenced growth differently among species, resulting in positive, negative, or non-significant responses. The functional forms that best described the relationship between relative growth and volume varied among linear, logarithmic, and quadratic models, highlighting distinct ecological growth strategies. Overall, the results indicate that the growth of non-arboreal Cerrado species is mainly driven by functional traits and environmental conditions, suggesting that ecological restoration strategies should account for the ecological and ontogenetic particularities of the species employed.