Response of vegetation to sheep dung addition in a degraded Cerrado area

ABSTRACT Cerrado is the second largest biome in Brazil and is classified as a biodiversity hotspot. The establishment of hydroelectric power stations in Brazil originated degraded areas due to the removal of soil for construction of dams, in which native vegetation sometimes fails to reestablish due to the bad soil conditions. Sheep excrete most of the nutrients they ingest, such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium and nitrogen. This study aimed at investigating whether sheep dung contributes to the improvement of soil quality and stimulates the process of ecological succession in areas affected by the construction of the hydroelectric power station of Ilha Solteira. Four areas were selected, located at the Experimental Farm of Unesp Ilha Solteira/SP, and ten plots of 1 m2 each were established. From October 2014 to December 2015, five replicates received 150 g fresh sheep dung every 15 days. In December 2015 soil sample from top 0.10 m was collected for the determination of soil attributes. Aboveground biomass was also collected, separated into four functional groups, oven-dried and weighed. Data were analysed to check the effect of dung addition upon soil and vegetation variables. Dung addition stimulated the development of several functional groups and changed soil nutrient concentrations in all four studied areas.