EDAFOLOGÍA, Vol. 10 (3), pp. 181-185, 2003
INFLUENCIA DE LA DEGRADACION DE LA CUBIERTA VEGE- TAL EN LA GENERACION DE SEDIMENTOS Y EN SU COMPOSI- CION: EXPERIENCIAS CON SIMULACION DE LLUVIA
J.L. SANTIAGO, E. BENITO*, M.E. VARELA
Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ciencia del Suelo. Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Vigo. 36310 Vigo. e-mail: rueda@uvigo.es. *Correspondencia a este autor.
Rainfall experiments have been conducted in the field in order to study the impact of deforestation and land management on the surface runoff and soil erosion, as well to examine changes in soil fertility by analysing the resulting sediments. The study was carried out on the University of Vigo campus which lies in an area with steep slopes that has been the subject of massive deforestation. Five experiments have been done during a year applying 64 mm h-1 intensity rainfall over 1 m2 plots.
Degradation of the plant cover in the area greatly increased runoff and soil erosion, as well as to result in increase fine mineral fraction, organic carbon and alkaline cation contents in the sediment relative to the soil. The recovery of plant cover decreased the amount of sediment produced and its contents in organic carbon and fine fractions.
Key words: plant cover, simulated rainfall, surface runoff, soil erosion.