Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina

Pilgerodendron uviferum is an endemic Cupressaceae of Patagonia (Argentina) that is restricted to a small group of individual trees, growing in isolated populations (relicts) along its distribution. The main objective was to evaluate the habitat, forest structure, leaf traits, leaf nutrient reabsorp...

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Main Authors: Peri, Pablo Luis, Bahamonde, Hector Alejandro, Toledo, Santiago, Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: MDPI 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/20274
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/9026
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16209026
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author Peri, Pablo Luis
Bahamonde, Hector Alejandro
Toledo, Santiago
Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
author_browse Bahamonde, Hector Alejandro
Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
Peri, Pablo Luis
Toledo, Santiago
author_facet Peri, Pablo Luis
Bahamonde, Hector Alejandro
Toledo, Santiago
Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
author_sort Peri, Pablo Luis
collection INTA Digital
description Pilgerodendron uviferum is an endemic Cupressaceae of Patagonia (Argentina) that is restricted to a small group of individual trees, growing in isolated populations (relicts) along its distribution. The main objective was to evaluate the habitat, forest structure, leaf traits, leaf nutrient reabsorption and growth of four relicts (area between 0.3 and 0.86 ha) in the Santa Cruz province (Argentina) to improve the available information for forest conservation purposes. Principal components analysis was conducted to determine the separation between relict populations based on their ecological characteristics (individual and habitat levels). We found contrasting environmental and forest structure conditions among the four studied relicts. For example, two relicts associated with Nothofagus antarctica showed higher values of P. uviferum tree density, DBH and dominant height at the stand level. Alongside that, these relicts presented a higher sapling density (1950–3167 ind ha−1) and understory plant diversity compared to pure P. uviferum relicts growing near the ecotone with the steppe grassland. Specific leaf area, carbon and nutrient concentrations in P. univerum leaves varied depending on the relict conditions and tree age of the individuals. The mean nutrient resorption efficiency varied according to relicts and particular nutrients, ranging from 18.1% to 49.5% for Ca and P, respectively. The diameter growth of the dominant P. univerum trees ranged from 0.33 to 0.46 mm yr−1, indicating that the species follows a stress-tolerant strategy. The information of this work may assist in the conservation of marginal P. uviferum forest communities spatially disconnected with continuous forests, growing in relicts.
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spelling INTA202742024-11-14T10:13:00Z Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina Peri, Pablo Luis Bahamonde, Hector Alejandro Toledo, Santiago Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José Primary Forests Relict Species Habitats Resource Conservation Bosques Primarios Especies Relicto Habitat Conservación de los Recursos Santa Cruz (Argentina) Pilgerodendron uviferum Dinámica Forestal Conservación de Nutrientes Estructura Forestal Rasgos de la Hoja Forest Relict Forest Dynamics Nutrient Conservation Forest Structure Leaf Traits Región Patagónica Pilgerodendron uviferum is an endemic Cupressaceae of Patagonia (Argentina) that is restricted to a small group of individual trees, growing in isolated populations (relicts) along its distribution. The main objective was to evaluate the habitat, forest structure, leaf traits, leaf nutrient reabsorption and growth of four relicts (area between 0.3 and 0.86 ha) in the Santa Cruz province (Argentina) to improve the available information for forest conservation purposes. Principal components analysis was conducted to determine the separation between relict populations based on their ecological characteristics (individual and habitat levels). We found contrasting environmental and forest structure conditions among the four studied relicts. For example, two relicts associated with Nothofagus antarctica showed higher values of P. uviferum tree density, DBH and dominant height at the stand level. Alongside that, these relicts presented a higher sapling density (1950–3167 ind ha−1) and understory plant diversity compared to pure P. uviferum relicts growing near the ecotone with the steppe grassland. Specific leaf area, carbon and nutrient concentrations in P. univerum leaves varied depending on the relict conditions and tree age of the individuals. The mean nutrient resorption efficiency varied according to relicts and particular nutrients, ranging from 18.1% to 49.5% for Ca and P, respectively. The diameter growth of the dominant P. univerum trees ranged from 0.33 to 0.46 mm yr−1, indicating that the species follows a stress-tolerant strategy. The information of this work may assist in the conservation of marginal P. uviferum forest communities spatially disconnected with continuous forests, growing in relicts. EEA Santa Cruz Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Bahamonde, Hector Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. La Plata; Argentina. Fil: Toledo, Santiago. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC); Argentina. 2024-11-14T10:01:28Z 2024-11-14T10:01:28Z 2024-10-18 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/20274 https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/9026 Peri P.L.; Bahamonde H.; Toledo S.; Martínez Pastur G. (2024) Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina. Sustainability 16: 9026. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16209026 2071-1050 (EISSN) https://doi.org/10.3390/su16209026 eng info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PD-E2-I038-002, Evaluación, monitoreo y manejo de la biodiversidad en sistemas agropecuarios y forestales info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf MDPI Sustainability 16 (20) : 9026. (October 2024)
spellingShingle Primary Forests
Relict Species
Habitats
Resource Conservation
Bosques Primarios
Especies Relicto
Habitat
Conservación de los Recursos
Santa Cruz (Argentina)
Pilgerodendron uviferum
Dinámica Forestal
Conservación de Nutrientes
Estructura Forestal
Rasgos de la Hoja
Forest Relict
Forest Dynamics
Nutrient Conservation
Forest Structure
Leaf Traits
Región Patagónica
Peri, Pablo Luis
Bahamonde, Hector Alejandro
Toledo, Santiago
Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina
title Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina
title_full Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina
title_fullStr Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina
title_short Stand characteristics, leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina
title_sort stand characteristics leaf traits and growth of threatened conifer pilgerodendron uviferum cupressaceae in southern patagonia argentina
topic Primary Forests
Relict Species
Habitats
Resource Conservation
Bosques Primarios
Especies Relicto
Habitat
Conservación de los Recursos
Santa Cruz (Argentina)
Pilgerodendron uviferum
Dinámica Forestal
Conservación de Nutrientes
Estructura Forestal
Rasgos de la Hoja
Forest Relict
Forest Dynamics
Nutrient Conservation
Forest Structure
Leaf Traits
Región Patagónica
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/20274
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/9026
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16209026
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