Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina

In Argentina, near the Sierra de los Comechingones, the exotic tree P. halepensis has been used mainly as an ornamental garden tree for more than a century. However, a few years ago, scattered populations began to be observed on the slopes of the hills, which are growing rapidly. The objective of th...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rauber, Ruth Bibiana, Blackhall, Melisa, Franzese, Jorgelina, Bogino, Stella Marys, Cendoya, María Alicia
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22158
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196325000400
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105356
_version_ 1855038524001091584
author Rauber, Ruth Bibiana
Blackhall, Melisa
Franzese, Jorgelina
Bogino, Stella Marys
Cendoya, María Alicia
author_browse Blackhall, Melisa
Bogino, Stella Marys
Cendoya, María Alicia
Franzese, Jorgelina
Rauber, Ruth Bibiana
author_facet Rauber, Ruth Bibiana
Blackhall, Melisa
Franzese, Jorgelina
Bogino, Stella Marys
Cendoya, María Alicia
author_sort Rauber, Ruth Bibiana
collection INTA Digital
description In Argentina, near the Sierra de los Comechingones, the exotic tree P. halepensis has been used mainly as an ornamental garden tree for more than a century. However, a few years ago, scattered populations began to be observed on the slopes of the hills, which are growing rapidly. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the amount and distribution of combustible plant material to infer potential changes in fire behavior and in the physical structure of native communities. We performed fuel characterization following the point intercept method in three pine populations and three adjacent non-invaded grassland communities. Vertical fuel distributions were significantly different between the two types of communities (KS = 0.78, p < 0.01), and horizontal fuel continuity was also significantly different between the two types of communities (KS = 0.76, p < 0.01). According to our results, the invasion of P. halepensis could potentially affect fire dynamics and characteristics in the high-altitude grassland communities of the Sierra de los Comechingones and represents a change in the physical structure of the community, since it implies a replacement of natural grasslands with the presence of some shrub species by trees that can reach a large size.
format info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
id INTA22158
institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling INTA221582025-05-05T13:23:35Z Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina Rauber, Ruth Bibiana Blackhall, Melisa Franzese, Jorgelina Bogino, Stella Marys Cendoya, María Alicia Pinus Pinus halepensis Fuel Crops Grasslands Introduced Species Invasive Alien Species Cultivos Energéticos Praderas Especies Introducidas Especie Exótica Invasiva Argentina In Argentina, near the Sierra de los Comechingones, the exotic tree P. halepensis has been used mainly as an ornamental garden tree for more than a century. However, a few years ago, scattered populations began to be observed on the slopes of the hills, which are growing rapidly. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the amount and distribution of combustible plant material to infer potential changes in fire behavior and in the physical structure of native communities. We performed fuel characterization following the point intercept method in three pine populations and three adjacent non-invaded grassland communities. Vertical fuel distributions were significantly different between the two types of communities (KS = 0.78, p < 0.01), and horizontal fuel continuity was also significantly different between the two types of communities (KS = 0.76, p < 0.01). According to our results, the invasion of P. halepensis could potentially affect fire dynamics and characteristics in the high-altitude grassland communities of the Sierra de los Comechingones and represents a change in the physical structure of the community, since it implies a replacement of natural grasslands with the presence of some shrub species by trees that can reach a large size. EEA San Luis Fil: Rauber, Ruth Bibiana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; Argentina Fil: Rauber, Ruth Bibiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Rauber, Ruth Bibiana. Universidad Nacional de Villa Mercedes. Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Blackhall, Melisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Investigaciones de Ecología en Ambientes Antropizados (IDEAS); Argentina Fil: Blackhall, Melisa. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Investigaciones de Ecología en Ambientes Antropizados (IDEAS); Argentina Fil: Franzese, Jorgelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Investigaciones de Ecología en Ambientes Antropizados (IDEAS); Argentina Fil: Franzese, Jorgelina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Investigaciones de Ecología en Ambientes Antropizados (IDEAS); Argentina Fil: Bogino, Stella Marys. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina Fil: Cendoya, María Alicia. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina 2025-05-05T13:21:01Z 2025-05-05T13:21:01Z 2025-08 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22158 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196325000400 0140-1963 1095-922X https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105356 eng info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2023-PE-L03-I009, Producción y ambiente: el cuidado de los recursos naturales ante un nuevo escenario climático info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2023-PD-L03-I096, Estrategias de restauración, valoración y conservación de la biodiversidad y servicios ecosistemicos info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2023-PE-L01-I001, Ganadería Bovina Sostenible en el Semiárido-Árido del centro oeste argentino info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess 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 Elsevier Journal of Arid Environments 229 : 105356. (August 2025)
spellingShingle Pinus
Pinus halepensis
Fuel Crops
Grasslands
Introduced Species
Invasive Alien Species
Cultivos Energéticos
Praderas
Especies Introducidas
Especie Exótica Invasiva
Argentina
Rauber, Ruth Bibiana
Blackhall, Melisa
Franzese, Jorgelina
Bogino, Stella Marys
Cendoya, María Alicia
Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina
title Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina
title_full Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina
title_fullStr Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina
title_short Changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non-native Pinus halepensis in high-altitude grasslands of Argentina
title_sort changes in the distribution and availability of plant fuel associated with the invasion of non native pinus halepensis in high altitude grasslands of argentina
topic Pinus
Pinus halepensis
Fuel Crops
Grasslands
Introduced Species
Invasive Alien Species
Cultivos Energéticos
Praderas
Especies Introducidas
Especie Exótica Invasiva
Argentina
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22158
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196325000400
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105356
work_keys_str_mv AT rauberruthbibiana changesinthedistributionandavailabilityofplantfuelassociatedwiththeinvasionofnonnativepinushalepensisinhighaltitudegrasslandsofargentina
AT blackhallmelisa changesinthedistributionandavailabilityofplantfuelassociatedwiththeinvasionofnonnativepinushalepensisinhighaltitudegrasslandsofargentina
AT franzesejorgelina changesinthedistributionandavailabilityofplantfuelassociatedwiththeinvasionofnonnativepinushalepensisinhighaltitudegrasslandsofargentina
AT boginostellamarys changesinthedistributionandavailabilityofplantfuelassociatedwiththeinvasionofnonnativepinushalepensisinhighaltitudegrasslandsofargentina
AT cendoyamariaalicia changesinthedistributionandavailabilityofplantfuelassociatedwiththeinvasionofnonnativepinushalepensisinhighaltitudegrasslandsofargentina