Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern Patagonia
Abstract Volcanic eruptions play an important role in vegetation dynamics and its historical range of variability. However, large events are infrequent and eruptions with a significant imprint in today's vegetation occurred far in the past, limiting our understanding of ecological processes. Vo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9362 |
| _version_ | 1811213179050524672 |
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| author | Ricardo Moreno‐Gonzalez |
| author_facet | Ricardo Moreno‐Gonzalez |
| author_sort | Ricardo Moreno‐Gonzalez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Volcanic eruptions play an important role in vegetation dynamics and its historical range of variability. However, large events are infrequent and eruptions with a significant imprint in today's vegetation occurred far in the past, limiting our understanding of ecological processes. Volcanoes in southern Andes have been active during the last 10 ka and support unique ecosystems such as the Araucaria–Nothofagus forest. Araucaria is an endangered species, with a fragmented distribution and well‐adapted to fire and volcanic disturbances. Yet, it was suggested that volcanism might have increased the fragmentation. Through the use of pollen and tephra analysis from a sedimentary record, this paleoecological study aims to provide an insight into the vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances, to assess the role of volcanic disturbance on the vegetation dynamics and to determine if the current fragmentation has been caused by volcanism. Results show that during the last 9 kyr, 39 tephra falls buried the vegetation around Lake Relem, more frequently between 4 and 2 ka. The pollen percentage indicates that the vegetation changed after small tephra fall but seldom caused significant changes. However, the large eruption of Sollipulli volcano (~3 ka) changed the environmental conditions affecting severely the vegetation. Ephedra dominated the early successional stage, perhaps facilitating Nothofagus recovering after ~500 years. Slight increase of Araucaria and Nothofagus obliqua‐type pollen percentages suggests that forest resisted without permanent changes and recovered relatively fast after the large eruption, perhaps because of sparse biological legacies distributed in the landscape. In the study area, the relative stability of Araucaria pollen after several tephra fall suggests no change in its past distribution at the current forest‐steppe ecotone, thus not affecting its current conservation status. Perhaps, random factors, the colonization patterns of the high elevations in the Andes after deglaciation and topography might play a more important role than previously thought. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:41:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dd4fe01b13d2449ea9f9cd590a537db4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:41:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-dd4fe01b13d2449ea9f9cd590a537db42022-12-22T03:45:38ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582022-10-011210n/an/a10.1002/ece3.9362Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern PatagoniaRicardo Moreno‐Gonzalez0Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics University of Göttingen Göttingen GermanyAbstract Volcanic eruptions play an important role in vegetation dynamics and its historical range of variability. However, large events are infrequent and eruptions with a significant imprint in today's vegetation occurred far in the past, limiting our understanding of ecological processes. Volcanoes in southern Andes have been active during the last 10 ka and support unique ecosystems such as the Araucaria–Nothofagus forest. Araucaria is an endangered species, with a fragmented distribution and well‐adapted to fire and volcanic disturbances. Yet, it was suggested that volcanism might have increased the fragmentation. Through the use of pollen and tephra analysis from a sedimentary record, this paleoecological study aims to provide an insight into the vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances, to assess the role of volcanic disturbance on the vegetation dynamics and to determine if the current fragmentation has been caused by volcanism. Results show that during the last 9 kyr, 39 tephra falls buried the vegetation around Lake Relem, more frequently between 4 and 2 ka. The pollen percentage indicates that the vegetation changed after small tephra fall but seldom caused significant changes. However, the large eruption of Sollipulli volcano (~3 ka) changed the environmental conditions affecting severely the vegetation. Ephedra dominated the early successional stage, perhaps facilitating Nothofagus recovering after ~500 years. Slight increase of Araucaria and Nothofagus obliqua‐type pollen percentages suggests that forest resisted without permanent changes and recovered relatively fast after the large eruption, perhaps because of sparse biological legacies distributed in the landscape. In the study area, the relative stability of Araucaria pollen after several tephra fall suggests no change in its past distribution at the current forest‐steppe ecotone, thus not affecting its current conservation status. Perhaps, random factors, the colonization patterns of the high elevations in the Andes after deglaciation and topography might play a more important role than previously thought.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9362disturbance regimelong‐term vegetation dynamicsValdivian Temperate Rainforest hotspotvegetation resiliencevolcanic ecology |
| spellingShingle | Ricardo Moreno‐Gonzalez Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern Patagonia Ecology and Evolution disturbance regime long‐term vegetation dynamics Valdivian Temperate Rainforest hotspot vegetation resilience volcanic ecology |
| title | Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern Patagonia |
| title_full | Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern Patagonia |
| title_fullStr | Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern Patagonia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern Patagonia |
| title_short | Vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the Araucaria araucana forest‐steppe ecotone in northern Patagonia |
| title_sort | vegetation responses to past volcanic disturbances at the araucaria araucana forest steppe ecotone in northern patagonia |
| topic | disturbance regime long‐term vegetation dynamics Valdivian Temperate Rainforest hotspot vegetation resilience volcanic ecology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9362 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ricardomorenogonzalez vegetationresponsestopastvolcanicdisturbancesatthearaucariaaraucanaforeststeppeecotoneinnorthernpatagonia |