Impacts of fire severity and cattle grazing on early plant dynamics in old-growth Araucaria-Nothofagus forests

Background: Fire has historically shaped the dynamics of Araucaria araucana-Nothofagus pumilio forests in the Andean region of South America. Nevertheless, human disturbances and stronger drought events have resulted in increased occurrence and severity of wildfires. Regardless of their conservation relevance, the initial response to fire of Araucaria-Nothofagus forests has not been well documented. Through this research we tested the hypothesis that plant composition of Araucaria-Nothofagus forest after fire will initially differ in its recovery depending on fire severity, but over time, plant similarity will increase among areas with different levels of fire severity. The study was carried out in old-growth Araucaria-Nothofagus forests in south-central Chile(38°S) that were burned in 2015. We studied vegetation response to three levels of fire severity(low(LS), moderate(MS) and high(HS) severity), also including an adjacent unburned forest(UN), which were assessed one, two and three years after fire. We also evaluated the impact of cattle on plant recovery after fire. We measured species richness, abundance, plant diversity and origin of all vascular plant species.Results: Species richness and plant abundance responded differently to fire severity. Time-since-fire had a significant effect on plant richness and abundance. Plant composition within LS areas was similar to UN areas, but MS and HS areas were significantly less diverse compared to UN and LS. In absence of other major disturbances, similarity in plant composition tended to increase over time across the different levels of fire severity, becoming more similar to UN. We also found a synergetic effect of cattle and fire on species richness. This interaction promotes the establishment of nonnative species and limits the recovery of native species following fire.Conclusions: Fire severity had a significant impact on the plant community of old-growth Araucaria-Nothofagus forests,especially in areas of high fire severity, where the native tree N. pumilio was completely absent. Nevertheless,plant communities can recover gradually, depending on fire severity, time-since-fire, and the absence of cattle grazing. Management actions should include the exclusion of cattle within fire-affected areas and afforestation with N. pumilio in areas high fire severity due to its unsuccessful recruitment after fire.

Weather or weathering?Growth of Nothofagus dombeyi on volcanic soils differing in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations

Aims We tested whether—in addition to weather conditions—the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the substrate have an effect on the radial stem increment of Nothofagus dombeyi trees in old-growth forest stands on volcanic soil at the western slopes of the Andes in South-Central Chile.Methods We took soil samples and tree increment cores from five proximate sites(1000-1300 m a.s.l.)that are located in the volcanic region of the Conguillío National Park and differ in the age of the substrate(Miocene—3500 years B.P.)and in its concentrations of nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P).The soil samples were also analysed on their concentrations of other plant mineral nutrients,carbon(C)and nitrogen isotope ratios(δ^(15)N).Tree-ring widths and the stem basal area increment(BAI)were related to climate parameters.In selected tree rings,the stable isotope ratios of carbon(δ^(13)C)and oxygen(δ^(18)O)were determined and related to growth and climate parameters.Important FindingsConsistent with theory,the soils on the oldest substrate showed the highest(least negative)δ^(15)N values,but mineral N was the only nutrient whose concentration exhibited a straightforward(increasing)relationship with increasing substrate age.The BAI was largest on the soil with the highest concentration of plant-available P.In contrast to BAI,tree-ring chronologies did not differ among the study sites.However,tree-ring chronologies and BAI exhibited significantly positive correlations with summer precipitation,and negative correlations,with summer(December)temperature.A negative correlation was found betweenδ^(13)C and precipitation anomalies in the growing season(November-March).We interpret the negative correlations between growth and temperature,and betweenδ^(13)C andδ^(18)O in the tree rings,as an impairment of net carbon assimilation by anomalously warm weather conditions during the growing season.We conclude that the growth of N.dombeyi is mainly affected by high temperature and low precipitation in spring and summer irrespective of the substrate’s age,and enhanced by higher concentrations of plant-available P in the soil.Our results may be representative of N.dombeyi stands on volcanic substrate within their principal distribution range along the Andes of South America.

How competitive is the‘pioneer-climax’tree species Nothofagus alpina in pristine temperate forests of Chile?

Aims Nothofagus species are constitutive elements of the temperate forests along the Southern Andes Mountains.The deciduous Nothofagus alpina is a fast-growing,but long-lived opportunistic pioneer spe-cies(‘pioneer-climax species’)and co-occurs with the evergreen N.dombeyi.We tested whether N.alpina is competitively superior to N.dombeyi in mature stands and whether intra-specific competition in N.alpina is stronger than inter-specific competition with N.dombeyi.Methods In a pristine old-growth forest in South-Central Chile,we compared the growth of N.alpina trees in pure stands and in mixture with N.dombeyi to the growth of N.dombeyi and calculated compe-tition indices.We related growth variables to climate data and weather extremes.Important Findings In N.alpina,juvenile basal area increment was signifi-cantly higher in pure than in mixed stands.Contrary to our hypothesis,N.dombeyi exhibited larger radial stem increments than N.alpina in the most recent 40 years.In the most recent two decades,this was caused by high growth rates of large N.dombeyi trees.In both Nothofagus species,stem growth was negatively related to temperature,but N.dombeyi responded more sensitively to weather conditions than N.alpina.In N.alpina,stem increment was negatively related to the intensity of competition,but the size of the competition effects on this species was similar in pure and mixed stands.Thus,compared to N.alpina,the‘pioneer-climax species’concept is even more appropriate for N.dombeyi with its relatively high growth rates even in the early stages of its life.