Differences in the soil seed bank of a mining area and its surroundings: A case study inserted in the Cerrado domain

Abstract

The constant management of a seed bank accelerates the environmental recovery, in an attempt to reach the reference system. That said, this research aimed to evaluate the effects of a mining area on the richness, composition, and structure of the seed bank. The hypotheses are that there is greater richness in the surroundings areas in relation to the mining pit and that composition and structure are different between mining and surroundings areas. Twenty sampling points were assessed during two seasons (dry and wet): ten within a mining pit and ten in its surroundings. There was low seedling diversity from the seed bank in the mining area and a significant difference in the species composition of seeds in relation to its surroundings. The species composition from both sites/treatments includes pioneers, bioaccumulators and phytoremediators, which are important to maximize results for the recovery of degraded mining areas.