XVI International Botanical Congess

Traditionally, the removal of weeds has been usually carried out by conventional methods. In this work, a combination of these methods and ecological principles will backup the restoration of Selvagem Grande. The possible exclusion of indigenous by introduced plant species with the concomitant reduction in the biodiversity of natural plant communities is a quite important phenomenon in islands. Preliminary results on soil characterisstics, number of spores and VA propagules of disturbed areas dominated by N. glauca, undisurbed areas with indigenous vegetation and transitional areas has been obtained. Ecological studies on the impact of VA mycorrhizsal fungi upon the establishment, growth and survival of the infestant N. glauca, as well as in indigenous plants was carried out. The presence or absence of VA structures and the physiological response to these fungi of a set of species was recorded.