Spontaneous revegetation of gully in the Cerrado region, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

Gullies can be stabilized by restoration of original vegetation or another type of vegetation cover adapted to the new condition. This study aimed to characterize the spontaneous revegetation of a gully in cultivated pasture, isolated from cattle, in Mato Grosso do Sul State. We obtained data floristic and phytosociological and information related to the biology of the species involved of May/2009 to April/2010. We found 23 families, 49 genera and 71 species. Herbaceous-subshrubby (78.9%), erect (63.4%), hemicryptophyte (43.7%) and autochoric species (60.0%) predominated in the study area. The rainy period had 90% of the species in flower and 77.1% in fruit. The attribute "bare soil" was high in terms of IV (51.6%) and RC (72.5%) in May/2009, values gradually reduced to 34.2% (IV) and 45.3% (RC) in February/2010. It is concluded that natural revegetation is under way. Such survey should be repeated within some years to monitore plant succession.

colonizing plants; recovery of degraded areas; soil erosion; Urochloa