Abstract
The identification of disturbance events using disturbance chronologies has become a valuable tool in reconstructing disturbance history in temperate forests worldwide; yet detailed reconstructions of disturbance history and their effect on the structure and dynamics of the old-growth Nothofagus forests in the southern Patagonia are scarce. We reconstructed forest dynamics and disturbance history of an old-growth N. pumilio forest in the Toro River Valley, Santa Cruz, Argentina using dendroecological techniques. Since a variation in the disturbance regimes was expected with changing elevation, we sampled at different elevations. We found distinct differences in forest structure, dynamics, and disturbance history with changes in the elevation. The disturbance chronologies provided robust evidence that forests in the study area have been subjected to multiple disturbance events over the last 200 years. Yet, recognizing the agent of disturbance could be difficult in these montane forests and further studies are required. Moreover, disturbances might have varied from frequent, moderate- to high-severity events to less frequent and more severe events. This study represents the first of its kind for the temperate forests of Patagonia.
Highlights
Natural disturbances, a frequent and inherent part of ecosystems, are key drivers of forest dynamics influencing forest structure, composition, and function [1,2,3,4]
Since variation in the disturbance regimes is expected with changing elevation, we proposed to assess resulting disturbance history and forest dynamics at different elevations
Our study revealed an extensive canopy disturbance history in a montane old-growth N. pumilio forest in the Toro River Valley in the southern Patagonia, Argentina
Summary
A frequent and inherent part of ecosystems, are key drivers of forest dynamics influencing forest structure, composition, and function [1,2,3,4]. Knowledge of the natural disturbance regime and the vegetation response to disturbances becomes essential for understanding forest dynamics at both the stand and landscape scale. Disturbance-based management that emulates natural ecological processes, such as local disturbance regimes, is viewed as more likely to sustain ecosystem functions and dynamics of forest ecosystems while maintaining biodiversity and ecological resilience to ensure a wide range of service and values to societies [5,6]. Different approaches have been used to study forest structure and dynamics, as well as associated processes such as disturbances. Long-term measurements can provide direct evidence of changes in forest structure and dynamics (e.g., [9]) but these studies usually provide limited time
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