Cómo interfieren las plantas introducidas y nativas en la calidad del suelo en un proceso de restauración ecológica en el sur del Ecuador

摘要

After a seven-year monitoring period of the ecological restoration of degraded areas within buffer zones in Podocarpus National Park, the population dynamics of 5 forestry species (3 indigenous, 2 introduced) were assessed on the basis of three succession stages, and the impact on soil quality was analyzed through the use of biological indicators. The assumptions were that the soil’s biological quality and physiological development would be higher in the three areas in which indigenous species were planted, and also that there is a direct and positive correlation between soil quality and the physiology of each species. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the phenotypic variables of trees that have a direct impact on soil dynamics. The presence of microorganisms was used as proxy for the soil quality biological indicator, and was evaluated by quantifying the microbial biomass and basal respiration of the soil. The main results included significant differences among all the phenotypic parameters of the species in the study and the soil biological indicators, with no distinction between indigenous and introduced species. Correlation was found between the phenotypic variables and the soil quality biological indicators, mainly in two species: alder (Alnus acuminata) and patula pine (Pinus patula), the two trees with the best health outcomes. The species with the lowest values were cedar (Cedrela montana) and guayacan (Tabebuia chrysantha) for the phenotypic variables, and guayacan (Tabebuia chrysantha) for the soil variables. Based on this research, the recommendation is to broaden the study, focusing on the impact of indigenous and introduced species on the ecosystem.