Characterization of the composition and floristic structure in the geoforms associated a wet meadow, INIA Kampenaike Research Center, Magallanes region, Chile
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Domínguez Díaz, E., & Ivelic-Sáez, J. (2020). Characterization of the composition and floristic structure in the geoforms associated a wet meadow, INIA Kampenaike Research Center, Magallanes region, Chile. Anales Del Instituto De La Patagonia, 48(2), 29–41. Retrieved from https://analesdelinstitutodelapatagonia.cl/article/view/958

Abstract

A study on the structure and floristic composition was carried out in three geoforms associated with a wet meadow (wetland) at the INIA Kampenaike Regional Research Center, located in the intermediate zone of the Magellanic steppe (52°42’27”S, 70°54’52”W). The working hypothesis was that grazing on geoforms associated with a wet meadow generates differences in the composition and floristic structure of the vegetation. In this context, the specific objectives were: 1) describe the taxonomic components, 2) characterize the floristic biodiversity and 3) evaluate the similarity or differences of the vegetation, together with determining the contribution of the species that structure the plant communities in geoforms associated with a wet meadow. The analysis was through the use of 57 quadrants of 1 m2. At a specific level, 55 taxa were identified, 1 from the Ascomycota Division, 2 from the Bryophyta Division and 52 from the Tracheophyta Division (higher plants), 19 species of the Liliopsida Class and 33 species of the Magnoliopsida Class, distributed in 23 families, 41 genera, 53 species and two specimens that could not be identified. The highest biodiversity indices correspond to the geoforms of the South and North slopes respectively, compared to the Depression (wet meadow) geoform, where anthropogenic pressure can be seen due to the intensity of grazing, which has caused a decrease in biodiversity in terms of number of species and coverage, which is in line with other studies carried out in wetlands in Patagonia. To assess the structure of the assemblage of the communities between the geoforms, a multidimensional ordering analysis (nMDS) was performed and the significance of the groups was determined using the ANOSIM method (R=0.6902; p?0.0001). The SIMPER analysis showed that the plants that contributed most significantly were in the Depression geoform that corresponds to the wet meadow. They are: Agrostis meyenii, Taraxacum officinale and Hordeum pubiflorum with more than 50% of the average coverage. In the South Slope geoform there was a greater taxonomic heterogeneity, although only one species (Poa spiciformis) generated the highest value of similarity within this group with an average coverage of 13%. In contrast, in the North Slope geoform, the species that most contributed to the similarity of this group were: Taraxacum officinale, Acaena pinnatifida and Aira caryophyllea with an average coverage of 42%. These results allow quantifying that excessive grazing generates negative effects that are manifested in changes in vegetation, by the substitution of species, by other taxa that are typical of arid sectors.

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