The decline of an endangered temperate ecosystem: The ruil (Nothofagus alessandrii) forest in central Chile
Author
dc.contributor.author
Bustamante Araya, Ramiro
Author
dc.contributor.author
Castor, Carmen
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2018-12-20T14:32:26Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2018-12-20T14:32:26Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
1998
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Biodiversity and Conservation, Volumen 7, Issue 12, 2018, Pages 1607-1626
Identifier
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09603115
Identifier
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10.1023/A:1008856912888
Identifier
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https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/156391
Abstract
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We describe the current state of the ruil (Nothofagus alessandrii) forest, a rare and endemic temperate forest in central Chile. Because of a long history of land-use, the ruil forest has suffered intense deforestation and fragmentation. By 1991, there remained 352.2 ha of forest in 183 fragments, most of them small and regular and a few large and irregular. From 1981 to 1991 the forest disappeared at a rate of 8.15% per year; to our knowledge, the highest value reported in forest fragmentation. Fragments are surrounded by a matrix of Pinus radiata plantations. Only 42 ha of forest (12% of the total area) are protected in a public reserve. An analysis of the composition of the forest shows that 13.8% of the total species are introduced. Pinus radiata is the only tree that has invaded this forest successfully. The 45.4% of native tree species are shade-tolerant and dependent on biotic pollinators and dispersers. These species should be the targets for future conservation efforts as they