Phytoclimatic segregation of sub-Antarctic Nothofagus woodland types in Tierra del Fuego, southern South America

• Published in: Plant ecology & diversity 2012-09, Vol.5 (3), p.373-385
• Main Authors: García-López, Javier M, Collado, Leonardo, Allué, Carmen, Bava, José O, Arranz, José A, Beneitez, José M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CLIMPAIR; cold; ecology; geographical distribution; Nothofagus; phytoclimatology; Plant ecology; southern beech; sub-Antarctic woodlands; suitability; summer; temperature; water stress; woodlands
• ISSN: 1755-1668; 1755-0874; 1755-1668
• DOI: 10.1080/17550874.2012.691563

Background: Climatic variables determining the most suitable sites for the woodlands of Tierra del Fuego are not yet as well understood as those related to their geographical range.Aim: The aim of this paper is to provide some insights into the relationships between climatic niche and current distribution of three Nothofagus species in Tierra del Fuego.Methods: We have identified the climatic variables responsible for the most suitable sites for three sub-Antarctic Nothofagus woodland types within their climatic ranges by calculating suitability indices, using the CLIMPAIR niche-based phytoclimatic model.Results: The distribution range of the major Nothofagus woodlands is mainly driven by variables related to water stress, whereas phytoclimatic suitability is mainly driven by thermal variables related to warm summer temperatures for Nothofagus betuloides and N. pumilio and to winter cold for N. antarctica that are also mainly responsible for the peculiarity of the Fueguian climate.Conclusions: These findings introduce a new perspective in the study of the Nothofagus ecology, based on the climatic traits responsible for the high-suitability locations instead of the traditional focus on the overall geographical distribution.