The succession of events after revegetation has rarely been studied. A plant consortium with a good initial development may come to be inadequate later, resulting in exposed soil, susceptible to the weathering forces. The objective of this study was to monitor characteristics associated with vegetative stabilization and, in the long term, the appearance of new cover forms or soil exposure in response to planting grasses and legumes on a steep road slope alongside a highway. After four years of recovery, new forms of soil cover or exposure were observed in the experimental plots, called typologies, described below: brachiaria grass cover, legume plants, gordura grass, invasive species, geotextile, decomposing residues, microphytic crusts, soil crust, exposed soil, erosion, and rock outcrops. The characteristics of these typologies were quantified by two surveys, before and after the rainy season. In addition, the different typologies of each experimental plot were mapped; these maps were used to analyze the dynamics, spatial distribution, frequency, and competition among typologies identified in the two surveys. Of the total 11 typologies, the vegetation species and microphytic crusts were the most relevant for revegetation. Microphytic crusts were very important in the initial stage of ecological succession, resulting in rapid stabilization and reclamation of degraded surfaces and favoring the appearance of invasive species. The seasonal variation between the two surveys showed that erosion and soil exposure decreased with increase in vegetation cover and microphytic crust development.
revegetation; ground cover maps; degraded land reclamation
