New records of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. (Tamaricaceae) in basins of Western Chaco dry forest, northwestern Argentina

Edgardo Javier Ignacio Pero

doi:10.15560/13.6.925

Abstract

Different species of the exotic plant Tamarix have been registered as colonizing natural and semi-natural environments in many provinces of Argentina. Nevertheless, the genus has not been cited for Tucumán or Santiago del Estero provinces, and not even for the Western Chaco dry forest ecoregion. The present work records the presence of Tamarix in riparian zones situated in different basins of Western Chaco ecoregion, namely in Tucumán and Santiago del Estero provinces, as well as the establishment of a T. ramosissima population in the Salí River basin in Tucumán

Highlights

The expansion of invasive alien species is considered to be one of the main threats to the biodiversity of the world (Lowe et al 2004, Nentwig 2007)
The report of Tamarix in Western Chaco ecoregion must raise an alert for monitoring a possible advance of this alien taxon in the area, mainly because of the invasive history of its species in other regions of the world
There is 1 site where only 2 specimens were found. These specimens were the biggest recorded in the study area, which could indicate that this population is older than those of the other sites. These specimens were surrounded by a high number of individuals of another species, Tessaria integrifolia L., which is indigenous and very common in riparian zones of Western Chaco

Summary

Introduction

The expansion of invasive alien species is considered to be one of the main threats to the biodiversity of the world (Lowe et al 2004, Nentwig 2007). Tamarisk consumes higher quantities of water than native vegetation in its naturalized range, which has significant implications in regions marked by water scarcity (Zavaleta 2000). Other implications of Tamarisk invasions have been registered, such as an increase in soil salinity (Cleverly et al 1997, De Loach et al 2000, Smith et al 1998), changes in fire dynamics (Lovich 1996), as well as a decline in biodiversity and some ecological processes (Zavaleta 2000, Glenn and Nagler 2005)

Methods

Results

Conclusion