Question: What effects do low-density afforestation with Pinus elliottii have on the site conditions and plant diversity of the mountains of central Argentina? Location: Sierra de Comechingones, central Argentina.Methods: We studied the species richness and diversity and the physical and chemical properties of soils, in both the non-afforested steppe (US) and the understorey of P. elliottii silvopastoral systems (SPS). Measurements were performed on three plots located in US and 18 experimental plots located in SPS, which differ in tree density (150, 250 and 450 trees/ha), pruning (with/without) and position (below -UC -, or outside -BC -, the vertical projection of the tree crown). In each plot, we measured soil variables organic matter (OM), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture content (RH) and relative proportion of coarse fragments; as well as photosynthetically active radiation that reached the ground surface (PAR i ). At the same time, a floristic survey was performed, consisting of 117 sampling plots distributed equally between treatments. Richness, diversity and evenness indices were calculated for each treatment.Then, we carried out a PCA in order to identify the differences in life forms and environmental variables across the treatments.Results: PAR i and pH were statistically significantly higher in US, while EC and RH were statistically significantly higher in SPS. Diversity indices did not differ significantly among the non-afforested steppe (US) and the patches between crowns (BC), but were significantly higher in both these treatments than below the crown (UC).The higher richness in some of the life forms and light availability clearly separated US from UC in the PCA. All the species of interest (endemic, N-fixing, medicinal, fodder) were found in the SPS. Conclusions:Our study indicates that the changes in site variables produced by lowdensity afforestation generate niches for some species and, simultaneously, constitute a barrier to others. However, the fact that diversity indices and the presence of the species of interest showed no differences among the between-crowns patches and the non-afforested steppe, highlights the complex environment-vegetation relationships that take place in this kind of system. Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article. APPENDIX S1 List of the vascular plant species surveyed in the study area and sorted by families APPENDIX S2 Photographs of the non-afforested steppe and the silvopastoral systems APPENDIX S3 Characteristics of the Poaceae species and medicinal species that appeared at a higher frequency How to cite this article: Fiandino SI, Plevich JO, Tarico JC, Nuñez C, Rusch V, Gyenge JE. Effects of low-density Pinus elliottii (Slash pine) afforestation on environmental conditions and native plant diversity, in the mountains of central Argentina. Appl Veg Sci. 2018;21:442-450.
This paper aims to identify the spatial and temporal distribution of net aerial primary production (NAPP) of oats and sorghum in silvopastoral systems (SPS) and in a treeless situation (TLS), in Southern Cordoba, Argentina. The silvopastoral systems are composed of three woody cultures (Pinus elliottii, Eucalyptus viminalis and Quercus robur), and two grass species (Avena sativa and Sorghum sudanense). NAPP of Avena sativa and Sorghum sudanense were lower in the silvopastoral systems than in the treeless situation. However, there were also differences in terms of NAPP according to the tree species, and these differences were related to the intensity of competition between trees and grasses. Pinus elliottii and Quercus robur were less competitive than Eucalyptus viminalis, which might be associated with their morphophysiological differences, their differential growth rate and their differences in terms of phenology. Finally, facilitation effects between trees and grasses were also identified under certain conditions.
In Prosopis caldenia forests, currently, the main activity is cattle rearing. Almost all research focuses on the herbaceous component, losing sight of the value of the forest resource and the implications of its management on the forage resource. The objective of this work is to evaluate forage availability based on forest cover, apply a model of diameter classes that allows predicting the evolution of forest mass and establish the relationship between the evolution of forest cover and forage availability. For this, forage availability was measured under and outside the projection of woody canopies, in two covers: open (10-15 m 2 ha -1 ) and closed (25-30 m 2 ha -1 ). Afterwards, through a model of diameter classes, it was sought to predict how the parameters of forest mass would evolve. The results of the herbaceous component showed that, up to 15 m 2 ha -1 of basal area (BA), there is no significant decrease in forage availability (approximately 2,700 kg ha -1 ). Regarding the forestry component, in a projected period of 10 years, 6.68 m 3 ha -1 would be obtained, representing 9.61 % of total standing volume. The relationship between canopy coverage and BA showed increase of 3.18 % per BA unit (R 2 = 0.96). This would allow projecting their participation by diameter class to propose improvement cuts that allow conducting these systems at coverage levels that do not significantly affect forage yield.
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