Monitoring the species composition of climbing plants and vascular epiphytes in two small wild protected areas in Araucanía (Chile): an analysis in time and geographic space

Background/Question/Methods

The study of ecosystem dynamics within landscape ecology is of interest for the conservation of biological diversity. Isolated, isolated wilderness areas immersed in an anthropogenic matrix face the challenge of monitoring populations in space-time. However, the lack of systematic inventories limits the biological baseline information to meet this goal. This study aims to evaluate Taxonomic Distinctness as an alternative way to monitor the diversity of climbing plants and vascular epiphytes in the absence of standardised data over time and geographic space. For this purpose, the study compared species composition in two wildlife areas, and at the same time, compared them with a study carried out in 1988. The first site selected was the Cerro Ñielol Natural Monument - a small protected area within the city of Temuco in Chile - which represents a patch of native forest subject to strong anthropogenic pressure over time. The second site was the Rucamanque Ecological and Cultural Park, better preserved - but immersed in a matrix of forest plantations -, located a few kilometres from the first site and with similar vegetation. The method considered updating the species inventory by exhaustive sampling and then comparing this list of species in time and space by calculating the Taxonomic Distinctness.

Results/Conclusions

The results showed that the composition of the vascular epiphyte assemblage is currently more diverse on Cerro Ñielol - than in the past (1988) - and that in geographical space, the composition of the assemblage differed significantly (i.e. Rucamanque); while the climbing assemblage was more diverse in Rucamanque. It is concluded that Taxonomic Distinction can be a valuable tool for analysis in the absence of a monitoring programme in wild areas. FONDECYT Postdoctoral 3200698 funded by ANID.