Relationship between the invasion of Acacia dealbata Link (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) and plant species richness in south-central Chile Relación entre la invasión de Acacia dealbata Link (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) y la riqueza de especies vegetales en el centro-

Abstract

Tree invasions can lead to changes in the plant community composition and reductions in the number of native species. Acacia dealbata Link (silver wattle) was introduced to Chile as an ornamental. This species originated in Australia and Tasmania has been documented as invader in several ecosystems in the world. In Chile, this species is strongly associated to roads, rivers and human disturbances, performing as an invader in natural and semi-natural ecosystems. However, A. dealbata impacts at community levels have been scarcely studied. In order to determinate the relationship between A. dealbata invasion and the species richness and composition of plants in natural communities of south-central of Chile, we recorded the plant composition in three study conditions: under Acacia canopy, inside an adjacent native forest and in the edges between both conditions. We selected five study sites near to Concepción, Chile (37° S) and in each condition we surveyed three transects of 20×2 m2 with