Variation in alpine plant diversity and soil temperatures in two mountain landscapes of south patagonia

Alpine environments and their temporal changes are rarely studied at high latitudes in the southern hemisphere. We analyzed alpine plants, soil temperatures, and growing-season length in mountains of two landscapes of South Patagonia (46◦ to 56◦ SL): three summits (814–1085 m a.s.l) surrounded by fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diversity
Main Authors: Lencinas, María Vanessa, Soler Esteban, Rosina Matilde, Cellini, Juan Manuel, Bahamonde, Héctor, Pérez Flores, Magalí, Monelos, Lucas Humberto, Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José, Peri, Pablo Luis
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI
Subjects:
FOOTHILL GRASSLANDS
GLORIA APPROACH
MOUNTAIN VEGETATION
SANTA CRUZ
SUB-ANTARCTIC FORESTS
TIERRA DEL FUEGO
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Antarctic
Austral
Patagonia
Argentina
Soler
Bahamonde
Antarc*
Tierra del Fuego
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/165015
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Summary:Alpine environments and their temporal changes are rarely studied at high latitudes in the southern hemisphere. We analyzed alpine plants, soil temperatures, and growing-season length in mountains of two landscapes of South Patagonia (46◦ to 56◦ SL): three summits (814–1085 m a.s.l) surrounded by foothill grasslands in Santa Cruz province (SC), and four summits (634–864 m a.s.l.) in sub-Antarctic forests of Tierra del Fuego province (TF). Sampling followed the protocolized methodology of the Global Observational Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA). Factors were topography (elevation and cardinal aspect) and time (baseline vs. re-sampling for plants, five annual periods for temperatures), assessed by univariate and multivariate tests. Plant composition reflected the lowland surrounding landscapes, with only 9 mountain species on 52 totals in SC and 3 on 30 in TF. Richness was higher in re-sampling than baseline, being assemblages more influenced by aspect than elevation. Mean annual soil temperature and growing-season length, which varied with topography, were related to the Multivariate El Niño Southern Oscillation Index (MEI) but did not show clear warming trends over time. We highlight the importance of long-term studies in mountainous regions of extreme southern latitudes, where factors other than warming (e.g., extreme climate events) explain variations. Fil: Lencinas, María Vanessa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina Fil: Soler Esteban, Rosina Matilde. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina Fil: Cellini, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Maderas; Argentina Fil: Bahamonde, Héctor. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina Fil: Pérez Flores, Magalí. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Laboratorio ...

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