The relative importance of soil properties and regional climate as drivers of productivity in southern Patagonia’s Nothofagus antarctica forests

Abstract

& Key message Soil texture and temperature-related variables were the variables that most contributed to Nothofagus antarctica forest height in southern Patagonia. This information may be useful for improving forest management, for instance related to the establishment of silvopastoral systems or selection of suitable sites for forest reforestation in southern Patagonia. & Context Changes in forest productivity result from a combination of climate, topography, and soil properties. & Aims The relative importance of edaphic and climatic variables as drivers of productivity in Nothofagus antarctica forests of southern Patagonia, Argentina, was evaluated. & Methods A total of 48 mature stands of N. antarctica were selected. For each study site, we measured the height of three mature dominant trees, as an indicator of productivity. Seven soil, five spatial, and 19 climatic features were determined and related to Handling Editor: Marcus Schaub Contribution of the co-authors Héctor A. Bahamonde contributed with field sampling, analyzing the results, writing the main manuscript, and revising it. Guillermo Martínez Pastur contributed with the field sampling and revision of the manuscript. María V. Lencinas contributed with the data analysis and the revision of the manuscript. Rosina Soler contributed with the field sampling and the revision of the manuscript. Yamina M. Rosas contributed with the field sampling planning and the soil analysis. Brenton Ladd contributed with the data analysis, the revision of the manuscript, and the thorough revision of the English. Sandra Duarte Guardia contributed with the field sampling planning and the data analysis. Pablo L. Peri contributed with the field sampling, the revision of the manuscript, and the data analysis.

Essential Nutrient and Trace Element Foliar Resorption of Two Co-Existing Nothofagus Species Grown Under Different Environmental Conditions in Southern Patagonia

“…According to the results obtained by Peri et al (2006, 2008) N, P, K, and sulfur (S) concentrations in N. antarctica green leaves were higher in stands growing in better sites (with more favorable soil and/or environmental conditions) which led to higher aboveground productivities (represented by an average height of mature trees of 8 m and above, compared to marginal sites with mean tree heights below 5.3 m). Similarly, Bahamonde et al (2018a) observed that higher N. antarctica forest stand productivities in southern Patagonia were mainly related to lower altitudes, reduced differences between maximal and minimal daily temperatures, and increased soil depths.…”

“…For example, working with peach trees Lawrence and Melgar (2018) found that a 5°C air temperature increase delayed leaf senescence such delayed-senescent leaves having lower leaf N and P concentrations. Moreover, when studying the main soil, spatial and climatic variables influencing productivity of mature N. antarctica trees in southern Patagonia, Bahamonde et al (2018a) concluded that temperature and soil texture, but not soil nutrient concentrations, were the most important parameters explaining the final height of mature trees.…”

Canopy composition and site are indicative of mineral soil conditions in Patagonian mixed Nothofagus forests

“…Consequently, the proportion of deciduousevergreen trees in the canopy could influence chemical and physical soil properties, and therefore the ecological processes that depend of them (e.g., seedling recruitment, growth and survival). Furthermore, differences in soil fertility, along with local climate conditions, determine forest structure development, tree density, age classes, diameter and height (Bahamonde et al 2018). This study aimed to reveal the effects of canopy composition (different proportion of deciduous and evergreen species, as well as their interactions) at coast and mountain sites, on the physical and chemical properties of mineral soils in mixed Nothofagus forests.…”

Correlación espacial entre las diferentes estrategias de uso en Patagonia Sur, la provisión de los servicios ecosistémicos y la conservación de la biodiversidad

“…Sin embargo, el contenido de carbono orgánico en el suelo es relativamente abundante comparado con otros bosques templados (Peri et al 2015). Bahamonde et al (2018) identificaron que el nitrógeno total en el suelo aumenta con la latitud y disminuye con la elevación en los bosques de ñire de Santa Cruz. En forma similar, algunos autores sugieren que los bosques de altura pueden comportarse como fuente de carbono y nitrógeno en respuesta al aumento de la descomposición de la materia orgánica del suelo (Davidson et al 2000;Tian et al 2010;Guntiñas et al 2012).…”

“…Por otra parte, los bosques de ñire con altos valores de biodiversidad (PROM) presentaron una mayor cantidad de servicios de regulación y soporte (indicadores PPNA, COS, FTS y NTS) con diferencias significativas. Algunos estudios han identificado que, el COS en los bosques de ñire es relativamente abundante comparado con otros bosques templados (Bahamonde et al 2013(Bahamonde et al , 2018 (ej. áreas extremas del sur y norte de la provincia) donde las actividades ganaderas predominan.…”