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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2021

Using tree legumes for soil bioengineering in the Caribbean riverbanks : ways for conservation and restoration of riparian forest

Résumé

In neotropical area, soil bioengineering techniques, using vegetation to protect embankments from the problems associated with erosion, are currently developing. They remain to be adapted in the Caribbean islands where the lack of knowledge on native species constrain their implementation. Among species presenting a high potential for soil bioengineering, legumes trees appear particularly relevant. Indeed, various species are used in tropical restoration programs because of their ability to improve soil quality and their ecological tolerance. Thus, legume trees appear particularly interesting in a soil bioengineering context where designs are often implemented in poor and degraded soils. Among the Caribbean Island hotspot, Guadeloupe shows a remarkable biodiversity and 40 native legume tree species are harbored in 34 types of ecosystems. In the context of global change and the erosion of biodiversity, conserving and restoring degraded ecosystems, particularly those under anthropogenic pressure such as riparian areas, must become a priority. Soil bioengineering techniques can be efficient tools to reestablish successional trajectories. The breadth of indigenous legumes tree species richness carries the promise of finding suitable species for the development of such techniques in Guadeloupe. In order to provide tools for the use of legumes tree in soil bioengineering in the Caribbean, germination, growth, morphological traits and traces of herbivory were assessed during the first stage of development. Five native legumes trees species (Inga ingoides, Inga laurina, Lonchocarpus heptaphyllus, Lonchocarpus roseus, Pterocarpus officinalis) adapted to riverine environments of different ecosystems (Swamp forest, Seasonal evergreen forest, Rainforest) were selected. Thirty seeds per species were sown in nursery. Germination rate, herbivory injuries, survival, growth, root traits, shoot and root biomass were measured on 3-month-old seedlings. A Principal Component Analysis and Kruskal-Walis tests were conducted to test interspecific differences. All the species have shown high germination and survival rate but distinct performance and traits were observed. Lonchocarpus heptaphyllus appeared to be the most sensitive species to herbivory and also shown the lower growth rate with the less developed root system. L. roseus, a critical endangered species, invested in its aerial parts more than in its root system. Inga ingoides and Inga laurina have shown a fast growth rate and a fast root development. Pterocarpus officinalis had the highest growth rate with a fastest development of its root system. The selected legume tree species presented characteristics compatible with a use in soil bioengineering in Guadeloupe and in the Caribbean at large.
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Dates et versions

hal-03413060 , version 1 (03-11-2021)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-03413060 , version 1

Citer

Eléonore Mira, Alain Rousteau, Régis Tournebize, Lucie Labbouz, Marie Robert, et al.. Using tree legumes for soil bioengineering in the Caribbean riverbanks : ways for conservation and restoration of riparian forest. Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Jul 2021, Virtual Meeting, France. ⟨hal-03413060⟩
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