Patrones de regeneración arbórea en claros a una década de la floración y muerte masiva de Chusquea quila (Poaceae) en un remanente de bosque antiguo del valle central en el centro-sur de Chile

Translated title of the contribution: Tree regeneration patterns in canopy gaps after a decade of Chusquea quila (Poaceae) dieback in an old-growth remnant forest in the lake district of south-central Chile

Ariel A. Muñoz, Mauro E. González

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

In old-growth forests at low elevations in south-central of Chile (38-42° S), the native understory bamboo Chusquea quila plays an important role on the establishment and growth of tree species in tree-fall gaps. Bamboo dieback that occurs after an extensive vegetative period represents a large-scale endogenous disturbance that could influence tree regeneration dynamics in gaps. The main goal of this study was to analyze the main patterns of the tree regeneration in canopy gaps in an old-growth remnant forest, 10 years after the bamboo dieback in 1994. Six gaps tree-fall gaps were located and permanent plots were established to study the demography and growth changes of the advanced regeneration and new recruitments. These changes were evaluated between the years 1994 and 2003. The advanced regeneration was composed mainly of the shadetolerant tree species A. punctatum, L. philippiana and A. luma. Their mortality after 10 years averaged 42 % and affected mostly individuals originated from seeds. In contrast, individuals of L. philippiana and E. cordifolia, originated from rootstocks, showed higher growth rates and lower mortality. On the other hand, new recruitment was characterized by the abundant regeneration of N. obliqua, P. saligna and A. chilensis during the first season after the dieback; however few individuals of these species survived the competition of the new bamboo cohort. Similarly, juveniles originated from rootstocks of E. cordifolia, G. avellana and L. philippiana showed higher growth rates and survivorship than plants originated from seeds. These results suggest that the temporary increase of resources in canopy gaps, due to the bamboo dieback, would favor tree species of mid-late successional stands, especially those originated from vegetative reproduction. Pioneer species in these forests such as N. obliqua were not favored by the bamboo dieback in small gaps (< 1, 000 m2), suggesting these speciesthat would depend mostly on large-scale catastrophic disturbances.

Translated title of the contributionTree regeneration patterns in canopy gaps after a decade of Chusquea quila (Poaceae) dieback in an old-growth remnant forest in the lake district of south-central Chile
Original languageSpanish
Pages (from-to)185-198
Number of pages14
JournalRevista Chilena de Historia Natural
Volume82
Issue number2
StatePublished - Jun 2009
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Tree regeneration patterns in canopy gaps after a decade of Chusquea quila (Poaceae) dieback in an old-growth remnant forest in the lake district of south-central Chile'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this