Resumen:
Passive restauration is a common strategy for the recovery of the structure and
functionality of forests throughout the world. The degree to which this has occurred is
usually evaluated through the study of the plant and animal species present, and soil
properties, while little attention has been paid to changes in the communities of soil
microorganisms. In order to elucidate the influence of passive restoration in different
terrestrial biomes on soil bacteria communities, microbial biomass, and the physical and
chemical properties of soil, the present study undertook a meta-analysis of 82 articles to
answer the following questions: (i) Does the resilience of soil microbiota and the physical
and chemical properties of the soil after of a passive restoration process vary among
terrestrial biomes? (ii) What are the levels of soil microbiota and the physical-chemical
properties of restored forest compared with primary forest, within the different biomes?
(iii) What are the most important soil properties contributing to the change on soil
microbial biomass abundance in the passive restoration process? Our results showed that,
in some biomes, the levels of soil properties, microbial biomass, and bacterial communities
increased during the passive restoration process, but, even if the factors driving forest
degradation are removed, the soil may not return to its original state. Moreover, we found
that there are only moderate correlations between microbial C and N response ratios (RR)
and SOC RR, in this restoration process.
