Temperate Forests

Regular wildfire supports the balanced development of sclerophyll forests in Victoria (Australia), as well as, boreal forests in Alberta (Canada). Also, they are a major part of local Aboriginal culture in these regions and a means of regulating ecological functions of flammable vegetation communities for improving their productivity. Taking into consideration that burning is used as an effective tool for ecosystem management in Alberta and Victoria, it is relevant to assess the impacts of fire practices on the environment and to find connections between fire spread and key factors determining the scales and locations of burned areas. Based on literary materials on fire practices, statistical data on wildfire cases occurring since the 1980s, geospatial data on the distribution of fire-prone plant communities' locations, and results of correlation analysis of fire cases with climatic, environmental, infrastructural, and social factors author reveal the following patterns: fires frequency depends on the landscape features; an increase in the number of fire occurrences correlates with an increase of dry periods duration (number of days); human settlements, where Aboriginal population reaches 50%, are subject to fires more frequent; the risk to the environment and settlements damage on small populated rural areas is higher than on densely populated suburban and urban places. Reduction of out-of-control wildfire risk can be achieved through fire management practices directed to wildlife and biodiversity protection, considering these patterns.

Presently, with the acceleration of climate change and rural land development, foraging spaces remain increasingly under threat. In Andean temperate forests of southern Chile, these challenges, coupled with ongoing legacies of colonization, threaten the biocultural memory of an assemblage of foundational understory species, the Chusquea spp. Both the commonly named species kila (Chusquea quila) and koliwe (Chusquea culeou) stand out for their ecological importance and, moreover, for their historical usage and significance among Mapuche and campesino communities. To better understand the biocultural importance of the Chusquea spp., we implemented a biocultural keystone species assessment among Mapuche and campesino communities. Moreover, drawing from community-based participatory frameworks, we collaborated with local foragers to synthesize recommendations for best management practices and develop guidelines to identify high-quality harvestable Chusquea spp. To conduct the biocultural keystone species assessment and synthesize management recommendations, we carried out participant observation, informal interviews, and snowball sampling, and conducted ethnographic interviews and fieldwork assessments with 16 expert foragers across the Mallolafken watershed in the La Araucanía region, southern Andes of Chile. Our results identified the Chusquea spp. as an assemblage of biocultural keystone species, with 62 household uses, critical contributions to food security, ceremonial significance, and cultural roles as a messenger, protector, and companion. Consultation with foragers also determined harvesting guidelines in accordance with use type based principally on variations in (1) color, (2) diameter, and (3) leaf abundance. While few foragers actively manage Chusquea spp. aside from using animal grazing to prune and control growth, some foragers shared techniques for reproducing stands. The lack of salient Traditional Ecological Knowledge related to Chusquea spp. management reflects their threatened biocultural memory. Future research coupled with community outreach regarding Chusquea spp. management is needed to support foraging practices and forest conservation efforts in the region.

Tree cavities are critical habitats for numerous vertebrate species, serving as keystone resources for nesting, roosting, and shelter. We document the first evidence of an individual güiña (Leopardus guigna) breeding within a tree cavity of a standing dead tree. We explore its implications on breeding productivity and complementing this record with evidence from camera trap surveys conducted in temperate forests of south-central Chile. These findings enhance our understanding of the species' natural history, breeding behavior, and habitat preferences. Additionally, we discuss the conservation implications of this discovery, offering new insights into the breeding ecology and habitat selection of one of South America's most elusive felines.

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Hyperspectral images (HI) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) provide high resolution radiometric and geometric information for monitoring forests at individual tree crown (ITC) level. It has many important applications for sustainable forest management, biodiversity assessment and healthy ecosystem preservation. However, the integration of different remote sensing modalities is a challenging task for tree species classification due to different artifacts such as the lighting variability, the topographic effects and the atmospheric conditions of the data acquisition. The characterization of ITC can benefit from the extraction and selection of robust feature descriptors that solve these issues. This paper aims to investigate the integration of feature descriptors from HI and LiDAR by using the intra-set and inter-set feature importance for the semantic segmentation of forest tree species. A fusion methodology is proposed between high-density LiDAR data -(20 pulses m -2 ) and VNIR HI -(160 bands and 0.80 m spatial resolution) acquired on French temperate forests along an altitude gradient. The proposed scheme has three inputs: the field inventory information, the HI and the LiDAR data. Our approach can be described in nine stages: polygon projection, non-overlapping pixel selection, vegetation and shadow removal, LiDAR feature extraction, height mask, robust PCA (rPCA), feature reduction and classification. The overall accuracy of tree species classification at pixel-level was 68.9% by using random forest (RF) classifier. Our approach showed that 74.0% of trees were correctly assigned overall, by having conifer species such as Norway Spruce (Picea abies) with a producer's accuracy of 97.4%.

The geographic range of a species is often limited by sampling approaches, underestimating the actual distribution. This is likely the case of Dromiciops gliroides (Microbiotheria), an endemic marsupial from southern South America. We used camera-traps to record D. gliroides for the first time in Chaitén and Futaleufú (southern Chile), expanding its known distribution 100 km to the south. Climate and forest composition in this area differs from the typical Valdivian rainforest. Activity assessments show a narrow activity patterns compared to northern populations.

Environmental adjustment is the most invoked explanation for intra-seasonal variation in bird nest morphology. However, time constraints may also be important, coming as a trade-off between the costs of nest building and the requirement to coincide a breeding attempt with maximal food supply. We describe the seasonal variation in nest morphology of the Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) in a sub-Antarctic population in southern Chile, and investigate its relation with the seasonal fluctuation of ambient temperature (an 'environmental adjustment' hypothesis) and time constraints (an 'optimal time frame' hypothesis). As the breeding season progressed, rayaditos spent fewer days building their nests, built smaller nests, and used less animal-derived insulating material. After statistically removing the effects of daily temperatures on nest building periods and nest morphological measurements, we observed no seasonal trend in the amount of insulating material used, supporting an 'environmental adjustment' explanation. However, the nest building periods, nest depth, and nest dry weight still showed a seasonal trend, favouring an 'optimal time frame' hypothesis. Our study shows that both temperature fluctuations and time constraints can affect different components of the nesting ecology of birds, and that nest morphology is the consequence of distinct non-mutually exclusive forces.

Current models and observations indicate that bacterial respiration should increase and growth efficiency (BGE) should decrease with increasing temperatures. However, these models and observations are mostly derived from data collected in temperate regions, and the tropics are under-represented. The aim of this work was to compare bacterial metabolism, namely bacterial production (BP) and respiration (BR), bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) and bacterial carbon demand (BCD) between tropical and temperate ecosystems via a literature review and using unpublished data. We hypothesized that (1) tropical ecosystems have higher metabolism than temperate ones and, (2) that BGE is lower in tropical relative to temperate ecosystems. We collected a total of 498 coupled BP and BR observations (N total = 498; N temperate = 301; N tropical = 197), calculated BGE (BP/(BP+BR)) and BCD (BP+BR) for each case and examined patterns using a model II regression analysis and compared each parameter between the two regions using nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test. We observed a significant positive linear regression between BR and BP for the whole dataset, and also for tropical and temperate data separately. We found that BP, BR and BCD were higher in the tropics, but BGE was lower compared to temperate regions. Also, BR rates per BP unit were at least two fold higher in the tropics than in temperate ecosystems. We argue that higher temperature, nutrient limitation, and light exposure all contribute to lower BGE in the tropics, mediated through effects on thermodynamics, substrate stoichiometry, nutrient availability and interactions with photochemically produced compounds. More efforts are needed in this study area in the tropics, but our work indicates that bottom-up (nutrient availability and resource stoichiometry) and top-down (grazer pressure) processes, coupled with thermodynamic constraints, might contribute to the lower BGE in the tropics relative to temperate regions.

Forest fires have become a major concern in the northern parts of Morocco, particularly in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (TTA) region, causing significant damage to the environment and human lives. To address this pressing issue, this study proposes an approach that utilizes remote sensing (RS) and machine learning (ML) techniques to detect burned areas in the TTA region within the Google Earth Engine platform. The study focuses on burned areas resulting from forest fires in three specific locations in the TTA region that have experienced such fires in recent years, namely Tangier-Assilah in 2017, M’diq Fnideq in 2020, and Chefchaouen in 2021. In our study, we extensively explored multiple combinations of spectral indices, such as normalized burn ratio (dNBR), normalized difference vegetation index (dNDVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (dSAVI), and burned area index (dBAI), in conjunction with Sentinel-2 (S2) satellite images. These combinations were employed within the Random Fo...

We are indebted to those who made it possible for us to visit broadleaved stands in other countries and obtain information on the silviculture and management of the relevant species. We express our gratitude to: Our colleagues in the Northern Ireland Forest Service, Mr W.

Using available data on entire bird assemblages of temperate forests in North and South America, we compare ecological patterns and dynamics between continents and suggest a comprehensive but low-cost research program to fill some of the many conspicuous gaps in the present state of knowledge. The scanty data available for comparison suggest that ecological trends of avifaunas are reasonably similar between grossly similar forest types on the two continents, but that important dissimilarities also occur due to different phylogenies, geologic histories, compositions of vegetation, and climate. For example. fruits apparently provide a steadier resource base in South America than in North America, whereas masting seed-, nut-, and cone-bearing trees, and ''masting" insect larvae seem more prevalent in North than in South America. Accordingly, the South American avifaunas studied to date contain substantial proportions of frugivores or frugivore-insectivores, whereas North American avifaunas appear to contain larger numbers of opportunistic species and/or seed-, nut-, and cone-feeding species. We propose that North American temperate forests are more heterogeneous, seasonal, dynamic, and irruptive than their South American counterparts, from a bird's eye view. The consequence could be that South American avifaunas are less opportunistic than their North American counterparts in response to spatiotemporal heterogeneity in resources or community structure; that is, they migrate less over short and long distances. Nevertheless, data are not available to test this assertion. We propose a careful comparative study of avifaunas in evergreen and nearby deciduous forests on both continents.

En el presente trabajo entregamos un marco conceptual sobre el efecto del fuego en la estructura y dinámica de ecosistemas de bosques, matorrales y praderas, el cual puede ser utilizado para evaluar opciones de restauración ecológica de dichos ecosistemas. Para ello, revisamos la información histórica sobre los incendios en distintos ecosistemas chilenos, con especial énfasis en los casos de la Patagonia y Torres del Paine. Luego revisamos la evidencia relacionada con la sucesión que ocurre luego de los incendios, los cambios ecosistémicos y las principales características biológicas de la vegetación que están asociadas a esta dinámica ecológica. Finalmente, en base a una revisión de los principales conceptos asociados a la restauración ecológica y su contexto interdisciplinario, concluimos con una serie de recomendaciones que podrían servir de guía para eventuales planes de restauración, e incluso de manejo y conservación de los ecosistemas de la Patagonia y Torres del Paine que han sido afectados por el fuego.

Ecosystem engineers are organisms that impact their environment and co-existing species by creating or modifying habitats, and thus they play important roles as drivers of community assembly. We examined whether cavity characteristics and/or habitat attributes associated with cavities provided by 4 ecosystem engineers influence the presence of nests of 3 secondary cavity-nesting birds—Aphrastura spinicauda (Thorn-tailed Rayadito), Tachycineta leucopyga (Chilean Swallow), and Troglodytes aedon (Southern House Wren)—and whether these variations influence their reproductive success. We tested this by: (1) assessing nest presence in cavities supplied by ecosystem engineers and (2) quantifying the reproductive success of secondary cavity nesters as a function of cavity characteristics and habitat attributes supplied by ecosystem engineers. Between 2009 and 2022, we recorded 757 cavities in 546 trees in old-growth and second-growth forests in a Global Biodiversity Hotspot in the Andes of southern Chile. Insect/fungi and Pygarrhichas albogularis (White-throated Treerunner) play a key role as the primary producers of cavities. Insect/fungi generated the cavities for 82% of A. spinicauda nests and 95% of T. aedon nests; in contrast, 57% of T. leucopyga nests were cavities excavated by P. albogularis. Characteristics of cavities (size of cavity entrance, volume, and height above ground) were associated with nest presence of secondary cavity nesters and with reproductive success of A. spinicauda and T. aedon. Habitat attributes such as tree density and canopy cover influenced nest presence for A. spinicauda and T. leucopyga, but did not correlate with the reproductive success of any secondary cavity nester. Bamboo density and forest type were related to reproductive success of A. spinicauda and T. aedon. Diameter at Breast Height of trees was related to the reproductive success of T. leucopyga. This study contributes to understanding the importance of various ecosystem engineers for the conservation of secondary cavity-nesting birds in temperate forests and beyond.

Cavity-nesting bird populations are most frequently limited by the number of tree cavities available in second-growth forests. However, this possible limitation of a key resource is less clear in old-growth forests. We compared forest attributes (i.e., basal area, density of larger trees, density of dead trees, and tree cavity density) in second-growth and old-growth stands in Andean temperate rainforests in southern Chile. To examine the role of nest-site availability in limiting the populations of Aphrastura spinicauda (Thorn-Tailed Rayadito), we monitored their populations in both forest types during a 5-year period (2008-2013), while we conducted an experiment in which nest boxes were added and then, after two years, removed by blocking cavity entrances. In old-growth forests, as compared to second-growth forests, we found a more than double basal area (99.6 vs. 43.7 m2 ha−1), a 3 times higher density of larger trees (88.2 vs. 36.4 trees ha−1), and a 1.5 times higher number of small cavities (25.9 vs. 10.3 cavities ha−1). The density of cavities also strongly increased with tree diameter and basal area. In second-growth forests, A. spinicauda showed a strong response to the addition, and later to the removal of nest boxes, with population abundance increasing by 13% and then decreasing by 50%, respectively. In contrast, we found no impact on old-growth stands. Our experiment emphasizes the importance of maintaining large and dead trees in second-growth, disturbed, and managed forests. These trees provide suitable cavities for A. spinicauda, and likely many other secondary cavity nesters, increasing their abundance in a Globally significant Biodiversity Hotspot in southern South America.

Le pH et le pouvoir tampon des aiguilles d'épicéas et de sapins dépérissants rencontrés dans les forêts vosgiennes ont été étudiés. Nous mettons en évidence que dans la majorité des arbres dépérissants (jusqu'à 45% de chute d'aiguilles) : le pH des tissus foliaires ne présente aucune modification comparativement aux arbres sains; -le pouvoir tampon des aiguilles reste sensiblement constant (épicéas) ou présente une légère augmentation avec le dépérissement (sapins). Nous pensons que cette augmentation du pouvoir tampon des aiguilles correspond à la mise en place, au niveau physiologique, de processus de résistance et d'adaptation à un stress, et que ce stress agit à un niveau faible. Ces résultats montrent que l'utilisation directe du pouvoir tampon des aiguilles en symptomatolo- gie du dépérissement est difficilement réalisable. Toutefois, il apparaît que la mesure de l'évolution du pouvoir tampon au cours du vieillissement des aiguilles est beaucoup mieux corrélée avec l'état de dépérissement des arbres. Picea abies -Abies alba -pH -pouvoir tampon -dépérissement forestier Summary -Investigations on pH and buffering capacity of needles from declining firs (Abies alba L.) and spruce (Picea abies L.). Applications in symptomology ? pH and buffering capa- cities of current-year and 2-year-old needles have been studied in silver firs and Norway spruce with different levels of dieback, from the Vosges forests. We show that in most of the declining trees (45% loss of needles maximum) : -pH of foliar tissues does not present any variation compared to healthy trees, in current-year and 2-year-old needles; -the alkalinic buffering capacities of needles are nearly constant (spruce) or show a small increa- se with dieback (firs). We are of the opinion that this rise in buffering capacity of needles is related to setting resistance processes, at the physiological level, in relation with the adaptation to stress which would act a low level. The results indicate that the direct application of the buffer capacity of needles as a test for symptomological studies in declining forests is difficult to interpret and to use. However, it appears that the difference in buffer capacity of needles during ageing shows a tretter correlation with the dedin- ing states and can be used as a physiological test for the early diagnosis of forest decline. Picea abies -Abies alba -pH -buffer capacity -forest decline

In most temperate forest ecosystems, tree mortality over time generates downed logs that accumulate as coarse woody debris (CWD) on the forest floor. These downed logs and trunks have important recognized ecosystem functions including habitat for different organisms and long-term organic C storage. Due to its recalcitrant chemical composition and slow decomposition, CWD can also have direct effects on ecosystem carbon and nutrient turnover. CWD could also cause changes indirectly through the physical and chemical alterations that it generates, although it is not well-understood how important these indirect effects could be for ecosystem processes and soil biogeochemistry. We hypothesized that in an old-growth mature forest, CWD affects carbon and nutrient cycles through its ''proximity effects'', meaning that the forest floor near CWD would have altered soil biotic activity due to the environmental and biogeochemical effects of the presence of CWD. We conducted our study in an old-growth southern beech temperate forest in Patagonia, Argentina, where we estimated and classified the distribution and mass, nutrient pools and decay stage of CWD on the forest floor, and evaluated its impact on litter decomposition, soil mites and soil enzymatic activity of carbon and phosphorus-degrading enzymes. We demonstrate here that CWD in this ecosystem represents an important organic carbon reservoir (85 Mg ha -1 ) and nitrogen pool (0.42 Mg ha -1 ), similar in magnitude to other old-growth forests of the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, we found significant proximity effects of CWD, with increased C-degrading soil enzyme activity, decreased mite abundance, and more rapid litter decomposition beneath highly decayed CWD. Considered at the ecosystem scale in this forest, the removal of CWD could cause a decrease of 6% in soil enzyme activity, particularly in the summer dry season, and nearly 15% in annual litter decomposition. We conclude that beyond the established importance of CWD as a long-term carbon reservoir and habitat, CWD contributes functionally to the forest floor by influencing the spatial heterogeneity of microbial activity and carbon and nutrient turnover. These proximity effects demonstrate the importance of maintenance of this ecosystem component and should be taken into consideration for management decisions pertaining to carbon sequestration

Currently the Chilean insurance market sells forest fire policies and agricultural weather risks policies. However, it was detected important difficulty of SMEs to access forest forestry insurance, being a significant proportion of forest plantations without coverage (close to 50%), because the insurance market that sells forest fires policies does not have an evaluation system based on known standards accepted by the market, but it is discretionary (each company evaluates the risk with own specific parameters) hindering hiring policies, increasing costs by uncertainty and putting barriers to the SMEs access due to their low information quality, and so consequently the market assigns a high risk rating by default. SMEs affected by difficulties in getting fire policies are over 19.000 reaching more than 810.000 hectares. This reality is being faced with a project funded by the Chilean Foundation for Agriculture Innovation (FIA), along with Government institutions, forest companies, i...

Financiación: Este grupo no ha contado con ningún tipo de financiación para el desarrollo de su trabajo. Declaración de conflicto de intereses: Los autores declaran que no existen conflictos de intereses que hayan influido en la realización y la preparación de este trabajo. Declaraciones de autoría: Todos los autores contribuyeron al diseño del estudio y la redacción del artículo. Asimismo, todos los autores aprobaron la versión final. El concepto "seguridad alimentaria" tiene dos acepciones. Una referida a la seguridad en la provisión de alimentos y otra a la salubridad de los mismos. La mayoría de trabajos que relacionan el cambio climático con la seguridad alimentaria se refieren a la primera acepción del término: seguridad en la provisión de alimentos. El aumento de las concentraciones de dióxido de carbono unido al incremento de las temperaturas a nivel global produciría, teóricamente, un mayor rendimiento en los cultivos destinados a la alimentación humana y animal. Sin embargo, una mayoría de estudios han evidenciado que, en general, los rendimientos en los cultivos están disminuyendo ya que ese cambio global también incluye un aumento en la frecuencia de episodios meteorológicos extremos. Además, estas anomalías climáticas estarían irregularmente distribuidas afectando de forma más intensa a los países en vía de desarrollo y con menor capacidad para afrontar ese cambio. Todos estos factores derivarían en una mayor incertidumbre en la provisión de alimentos, siendo también menos previsible y sujeta a las especulaciones de los mercados. Podría preverse que un aumento de la temperatura media incrementara el riesgo de proliferación de microorganismos productores de enfermedades de origen alimentario como Salmonella o Campylobacter. No obstante, en los países desarrollados, en los que los sistemas de información permiten conocer la evolución temporal de ocurrencia de esas enfermedades, aún no se ha detectado una tendencia en ese sentido ya que los medios de conservación de alimentos y los controles que se realizan están bastante extendidos.

The present paper deals with sixteen species of Indian Dendrobium Sw. from the Northeastern regions which are economically important from aesthetic value related industry. The detailed morphological characterization and the reproductive phenology are discussed. Vegetative characters reveal sizeable variations among the species which can be differentiated from one another. The height of the psuedobulb stem with nodes and internodes ranges from 15 cm to 130 cm, the maximum height was recorded in D. moschatum. The sessile lanceolate leaves with a maximum length were recorded in D. moschatum. The longest inflorescence was found in D. clavatum, interestingly in Dendrobium the longer the inflorescence the more the numbers of flower bearing. The flowers were exquisite and showy which exhibit different shapes and colours, the largest flower was recorded in D. formosum. Most of the species began to sprout new shoots during spring season. The low temperature, rainfall and humidity promote the flower bud initiation except in D. nobile, and D. heterocarpum favoured by moderate temperature and high humidity. The longevity of the flower ranges from 5 to 23 days with a maximum recorded in D. formosum. Post fertilization phenophase is the longest period exhibited by all the species under study, for instance seedpod initiation to maturity ranges from 56 to 120 days.

The simplification of forest structural complexity, caused by anthropogenic land-use practices, is one of the main threats to understory specialist birds. We examined the association of forest habitat attributes and structural complexity with the density of four understory bird species in a Global Biodiversity Hotspot in South America. Between 2011 and 2013, we surveyed habitat attributes and conducted understory bird point counts in 505 plots in Andean temperate ecosystems in Chile. In each plot, we measured understory density, coarse woody debris (CWD) volume, number of snags, diameter at breast height (DBH) of trees, and litter depth. With these attributes, we developed an index of stand structural complexity (ISC). On average, old-growth forests had higher values for understory density, CWD volume, DBH, and litter depth than secondary forests and open fields. The density of understory species was positively correlated with the ISC for the Rhinocryptidae Pteroptochos tarnii, Scelorchilus rubecula, and Scytalopus magellanicus. We also found a positive association between understory density and litter depth with the density of the Furnariidae Sylviorthorhynchus desmursii. However, this latter species showed a negative association with the density of standing dead trees. Our results suggest rhynocryptids as good indicators of structural complexity of temperate forest ecosystems. Also suggest the utility of an index of structural complexity, rather than single habitat attributes, for determining the density of understory specialist birds. We recommend that management plans should promote the retention of habitat legacies that contribute to the structural complexity of forest ecosystems.

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is altering biogeochemical cycling in forests and interconnected lakes of the northeastern US, and may shift nutrient limitation from N toward other essential elements, such as phosphorus (P). Whether this shift is occurring relative to N deposition gradients across the northeastern US has not been investigated. We used datasets for the northeastern US and the Adirondack sub-region to evaluate whether P limitation is increasing where N deposition is high at two geographic scales, based on N:P mass ratios. Using a modelselection approach, we determined that foliar N for dominant tree species and lake dissolved inorganic N (DIN) increased coincident with increasing N deposition, independent of relationships between foliar N or lake DIN and precipitation or temperature. Foliar P also increased with N deposition across the northeastern US for seven of eight deciduous species, but changed less across the Adirondacks. Foliar N:P therefore declined at the highest levels of N deposition for most deciduous species across the region (remaining nearly constant for most conifers and increasing only for black cherry and hemlock), but increased across all species in the Adirondacks. Ratios between DIN and total P (DIN:TP) in lakes were unrelated to N deposition regionally but increased across the Adirondacks. Thus, nutrient limitation patterns shifted from N toward P for dominant trees, and further toward P for predominantly P-limited lakes, at the sub-regional but not regional scale. For the northeastern US overall, accumulated N deposition may be insufficient to drive nutrient limitation from N toward P; alternatively, elements other than P (e.g., calcium, magnesium) may become limiting as N accumulates. The consistent Adirondack foliar and lake response could provide early indication of shifts toward P limitation within the northeastern US, and together with regional patterns, suggests that foliar chemistry could be a predictor of lake chemistry in the context of N deposition across the region.

The Himalayan forest ecosystem offers important services and income to distant mountain communities. The current study was conducted to assess the vegetation structure of Ghamot National Park in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. A total of 20 locales were chosen, 452 quadrates were laid in 20 localities, and 489 plant species from 77 families were recorded in 18 sites with 18 communities. 9 (1.84%) of the 489 species were trees, 32 (6.54%) were shrubs, and 448 (91.61%) were herbaceous, including 46 fern species. Asteraceae (n=46, 9%) had the most species in the research region, followed by Poaceae (32, 7%), Ranunculaceae (n=29, 6%), Lammiaceae (n=25, 5%), Rosaceae (n=22, 4%), and Fabaceae (21, 4%). Out of the entire number of families (n=77), dominating families (n=16, 20.77) account for 63% of the local flora, with 308 species, while remaining families (n=61, 79.22) account for 37% of the whole flora, with 1-7 species. The importance value index (IVI) of each community's documented species was determined. Juniperus communis had the highest average IVI (4.99), followed by Abies pindrow (4.40), Salix flabellaris (3.70), Viburnum grandiflorum (3.65), and Betula utilis (3.65). To protect and maintain forest services, authorities should establish conservation policies at the local and regional levels.

La domesticación de organismos es un conjunto de conocimientos y prácticas que han generado, a lo largo de la historia y durante la prehistoria, diversos saberes y procedimientos, a la par que nuevos linajes o poblaciones particulares. El conocimiento obtenido de esos procesos, en particular el que está relacionado con la variación biológica y la diversificación de poblaciones, se convirtió en un elemento clave en el origen del pensamiento evolutivo lamarckiano y darwiniano, no sólo en el sentido de evidenciar la diversificación de las especies domesticadas y el efecto de la transformación de las especies, sino también en el desarrollo de la explicación científica de la evolución. Es decir, en fundamentar la aplicación racional de los conocimientos sobre la domesticación en las discusiones sobre la transformación, en la evidencia indirecta, en las hipótesis de trabajo y en la figura análoga a partir de la cual se construyó el concepto de selección natural. Las ideas sobre la variación de plantas y animales en estado doméstico definieron el sentido de las ideas de variación biológica, descendencia con modificación y ancestro común. En términos más amplios, fue un elemento crucial para darle un sentido epistémicamente radical al conocimiento obtenido en las prácticas que los seres humanos han realizado durante miles de años, para entender lo que la naturaleza ha hecho durante millones de años. Nuevos y recientes análisis, obtenidos a partir de estudios arqueológicos, antropológicos, etnoecológicos y etnobiológicos, muestran que los procesos de domesticación continúan con gran vigor actualmente, sobre la base de los conocimientos tradicionales acumulados por millones de comunidades de campesinos y pastores del mundo contemporáneo. Estos conocimientos son especialmente muy relevantes para la conservación de la biodiversidad y la agrobiodiversidad, el uso de los recursos naturales, los patrimonios bioculturales y el futuro sustentable del planeta.

Ethical implications of yahgan and mapuche indigenous narratives about the birds of the austral temperate forests of South America. -This paper analyzes the ethical implications of Yahgan and Mapuche stories about forest birds of southern Chile and Argentina, from the perspective of biological conservation and environmental philosophy. To allow comparisons among notions of traditional ecological knowledge, evolutionary-ecological sciences, and environmental ethics, I focus in two well known metaphors: the "tree of life" and the "web of life." The analysis of the first metaphor allows to conclude that both modern sciences and the Yahgan and Mapuche indigenous cosmogonies affirm a common origin for birds and humans. This notion supports the intrinsic value of the avifauna, because birds are regarded as our evolutionary relatives. This implies that, to a certain degree, the life of birds can be subject to moral considerations based on ontological and ethical judgments commensurable with those involved in assessing the value of human life. The analysis of the metaphor of the "web of life" also reveals essential correspondences between contemporary scientific knowledge and Yahgan and Mapuche traditional ecological knowledge regarding the net of biotic interactions and ecosystem processes. Bird stories such as the Green-backed Firecrown (Sephanoides sephaniodes) or omora (in yagán) and the Andean Tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus) or tiftifken (in mapuche) affirm, as much as sciences, that it is necessary to preserve the community of birds, and biodiversity in general, to ensure water supply and other ecosystem services and goods in the long term. The ethical imperatives, implicit in the second metaphor, are consistent with the notion of instrumental value. According to it, the conservation of birds can be regarded as an instrument for human survival. Traditional ornithological knowledge and modern sciences provide support for the instrumental and intrinsic value of biodiversity; today both values appeal for a respectful living together with birds. Resumen. -Este trabajo analiza las implicancias éticas de las historias yaganes y mapuches sobre las aves de los bosques del sur de Chile y Argentina, desde el punto de vista de la conservación biológica y la filosofía ambiental. Para permitir comparaciones entre nociones del conocimiento ecológico tradicional, las ciencias ecológicas y evolutivas, y la ética ambiental actual, el análisis se centra en dos metáforas ampliamente conocidas: el "árbol de la vida" y la "red de la vida". El análisis de la primera metáfora permite concluir que tanto las ciencias como las cosmogonías indígenas yagán y mapuche proponen un origen común para las aves y los humanos. Esta noción genealógica o evolutiva realza el valor intrínseco de la avifauna, porque las aves son consideradas como nuestros parientes evolutivos lejanos. Esto implica que, en algún grado, la vida de las aves puede estar sujeta a consideraciones morales fundadas en juicios ontológicos y éticos conmensurables con aquellos con que juzgamos el valor de la vida humana. El análisis de la metáfora de "la red de la vida" también revela concordancias esenciales entre el conocimiento actual de las cien-

The political and policy dialogue in recent years has focused much of its attention on wildlife crime, with not enough consideration being given to sustainable and legal trade in wild animals and plants, its role in conservation and socio-economic development, and the commitments, measures and tools needed to fulfil that role effectively. Conservation efforts to address wildlife crime also appear to be focused on a small number of "charismatic" animal species, with the far larger scope of animal and plants species involved in legal and sustainable trade largely overlooked. Unfortunately, there is currently little appreciation that for efforts aimed at tackling illegal killing and trade in species to be effective and sustainable in the long term, they need to be complemented by efforts to ensure the sound management of wild species that take into account the socio-economic needs of human populations.

Se ha sugerido que los vertebrados carnívoros enfrentados a cambios en la composición química de la dieta, serían incapaces de modular fenotípicamente algunas funciones digestivas, tales como el transporte de nutrientes y las actividades enzimáticas. Sin embargo, en trabajos previos hemos mostrado que Thylamys elegans, un pequeño marsupial que habita ambientes Mediterráneos de Chile central, descrito como insectívoro, es capaz de cambiar los niveles de actividad de disacaridasas en función a diferencias en la composición química del alimento. Esta aparente ausencia de restricciones digestivas sugiere que este animal podría comportarse como especie oportunista frente a cambios en la disponibilidad y abundancia de los recursos tróficos. Si esto es así, se esperan cambios estacionales de actividad de disacaridasas intestinales (i. e. sacarasa, maltasa y trehalasa) asociados a cambios estacionales en la disponibilidad de insectos y frutos. En el presente trabajo se detectaron diferencias significativas entre las actividades de las disacaridasas entre invierno y verano. Discutimos acerca de los mecanismos de expresión y regulación de dichas disacaridasas y analizamos las consecuencias fisiológicas, conductuales y ecológicas de tales mecanismos.

La dispersión de semillas es un proceso ecológico que causa efectos en la estructura de las comunidades vegetales para el mantenimiento de su diversidad. El paso de las semillas por el tracto digestivo de algunos vertebrados tiene efectos evidentes en la germinación, el mamífero Bassariscus astutus incluye frutos en su dieta omnívora, lo que se ha documentado en diversos ecosistemas, y presenta una marcada tolerancia a la perturbación. Con el objetivo de evaluar los efectos de la dispersión de cuatro especies de plantas por B. astutus, se localizaron, colectaron y procesaron las excretas encontradas en letrinas. Las semillas se recuperaron, identificaron y sometieron a pruebas de viabilidad y germinación, además, se cuantificó la germinación y establecimiento en letrinas. En 76 excretas de 35 letrinas se encontraron semillas de las plantas Juniperus deppeana, Phytolacca icosandra, Opuntia depressa y Amelanchier denticulata.Los resultados mostraron efectos positivos de la dispersión ...

Plant-soil feedbacks have important implications for community composition and restoration. However, relatively few field trials test the influence of plant-soil feedbacks, especially on longer-lived species, such as trees. Here we present a field restoration experiment with 10 ectomycorrhizal fungal tree species native to eastern North America. Trees were inoculated with soils collected from conspecifics in the field or from a heterospecific: Quercus rubra. Following 16 months of growth in the field, Carya ovata diameter increase was significantly greater in trees receiving the heterospecific inoculant. This plant-soil feedback is consistent with C. ovata's natural co-occurrence with Q. rubra. Conversely, Quercus macrocarpa diameter increase and Carya cordiformis height increase were significantly greater when inoculated with conspecific soils, and this positive plant-soil feedback is consistent with their numerical dominance in natural communities. We found no evidence for phylogenetic Janzen-Connell effects or conservation of soil mutualists across tree species. We also quantified differences in soil fungal community structure with next generation sequencing methods (Illumina MiSeq) following 16 months in the field. Shannon's diversity of fungal taxa was greater in heterospecific soils of seven of our nine experimental species, consistent with a diversifying influence of Quercus rubra soil inocula. However, only one genus, Ulmus, exhibited differences in fungal community composition derived from conspecific and heterospecific sources, suggesting a stronger effect of focal tree species than of soil inocula source. The relatedness among focal tree species also influenced fungal community composition, with tree families and genera displaying different fungal communities. We suggest that future experiments should determine whether more diverse tree and fungal communities might have enhanced ecosystem functioning in tree restoration sites.

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is altering biogeochemical cycling in forests and interconnected lakes of the northeastern US, and may shift nutrient limitation from N toward other essential elements, such as phosphorus (P). Whether this shift is occurring relative to N deposition gradients across the northeastern US has not been investigated. We used datasets for the northeastern US and the Adirondack sub-region to evaluate whether P limitation is increasing where N deposition is high at two geographic scales, based on N:P mass ratios. Using a modelselection approach, we determined that foliar N for dominant tree species and lake dissolved inorganic N (DIN) increased coincident with increasing N deposition, independent of relationships between foliar N or lake DIN and precipitation or temperature. Foliar P also increased with N deposition across the northeastern US for seven of eight deciduous species, but changed less across the Adirondacks. Foliar N:P therefore declined at the highest levels of N deposition for most deciduous species across the region (remaining nearly constant for most conifers and increasing only for black cherry and hemlock), but increased across all species in the Adirondacks. Ratios between DIN and total P (DIN:TP) in lakes were unrelated to N deposition regionally but increased across the Adirondacks. Thus, nutrient limitation patterns shifted from N toward P for dominant trees, and further toward P for predominantly P-limited lakes, at the sub-regional but not regional scale. For the northeastern US overall, accumulated N deposition may be insufficient to drive nutrient limitation from N toward P; alternatively, elements other than P (e.g., calcium, magnesium) may become limiting as N accumulates. The consistent Adirondack foliar and lake response could provide early indication of shifts toward P limitation within the northeastern US, and together with regional patterns, suggests that foliar chemistry could be a predictor of lake chemistry in the context of N deposition across the region.

Se analizan palinológicamente dos perfiles obtenidos en la Isla Grande de Chiloé y se reconstruye la historia vegetacional del sector, a base de comparaciones de las combinaciones de polen fósil con las de los tipos forestales actuales del área de estudio, datos del clima actual y curvas de paleotemperaturas y precipitaciones propuestas en la literatura para el último ciclo glacial-interglacial. En el perfil Pidpid Alto, el lapso datado radiocarbónicamente como más reciente que 36.230 A.P., con dominancia de polen deNothofagus tipo-dombeyi. Podocarpus nubigena, Fitzroya cupressoides y Drimys winteri, sugiere presencia de bosque nordpatagónico-subantártico asociado a condiciones templado-frías y lluviosas para este tiempo, probablemente correspondiente a algunos de los interestadiales de la última glaciación. Con anterioridad a 36.230 A.P., las proporciones altas de indicadores de tundra y estepa sugieren condiciones estadiales frías. El perfil Laguna Pastahué, cuya base ha sido datada radiocarbónicamente en 12.470 A.P., representa el lapso Tardiglacial y Holoceno e incluye la siguiente secuencia de tipos forestales: (i) bosque nordpatagónico, con dominancia de Myrtaceae, asociado a las condiciones algo más cálidas y lluviosas que las actuales prevalecientes desde 12.500 hasta ca. 8.500 A.P. (ii) bosque valdiviano, con predominio del tipo Caldcluvia/Eucryphia, asociado al episodio de "calentamiento postglacial" (8.500 -5.000 A.P.) caracterizado por un clima más seco y más cálido que el actual; (üi) bosque nordpatagónico-subantártico (5.000 A.P. al presente) con dominancia de Weinmannia, Drimys, Tepualia, Myrtaceae, Graminea:e, Pteridophyta y, hacia finales de la secuencia,Nothofagus, sugiriendo condiciones algo más frías y notoriamente más húmedas que en el lapso anterior y más en concordancia con las imperantes en el área de estudio en la actualidad. La mayor discontinuidad florística detectada en el Perfil Pastahué, fechada en 9.590 A.P., corresponde a la interfase entre los dos primeros tipos forestales mencionados y es distinguida por el descenso abrupto de las Myrtaceae seguido de la aparición y dominancia de Weinmannia. Se discute la posibilidad de que este cambio defina el límite Pleistoceno-Holoceno. Palabras claves: Palinología, Cuaternario, Chiloé Insular, estructura e historia de la vegetación.

Au moment où s'achève ce travail, il m'est agréable de remercier tous ceux qui m'ont accueillie, dirigée et conseillée. Je suis très reconnaissante envers M. Adrien HERBILLON pour son soutien et l'attention bienveillante qu'il a portée à la réalisation de cette thèse. Je tiens à exprimer mes sincères remerciements et ma profonde gratitude à M. Michel GURY pour la confiance qu'il a bien voulu m'accorder et pour toute l'aide, la sollicitude, et les précieux conseils qu'il m'a prodigués tout au long de ce travail. Avec patience et attention, il m'a guidée dans toutes les étapes de cette thèse, du travail de terrain à la phase de rédaction. Qu'il veuille bien trouver ici l'expression de mon profond attachement. Je voudrais également remercier M. Emmanuel JEANROY, qui a pris une part active à l'orientation de ce travail, pour son aide efficace et attentive, sa disponibilité et ses encouragements. Sa collaboration amicale, ses compétences et son enthousiasme m'ont été très précieux. Mes remerciements s'adressent aussi à M. Jean-Marie HETIER qui a accepté d'être l'un des rapporteurs et qui a été un interlocuteur éclairé et bienveillant. J'exprime toute ma reconnaissance à M. Peter BUURMAN, également rapporteur, qui a bien voulu s 'intéresser à ce travail. Je remercie enfin les membres du jury, M. Pierre FAIVRE et M. Bernard HAGUENAUER, de me faire l'honneur de juger cette thèse. Ma reconnaissance va aussi à toutes les personnes qui, au Centre de Pédologie Biologique comme à l'extérieur, m'ont apporté leur concours et dont la gentillesse et les compétences ont contribué au bon déroulement de ce travail. Il m'est impossible de toutes les citer mais qu'elles trouvent ici l'expression de mes sincères remerciements. Je n'oublie pas dans ces remerciements toute la joyeuse équipe des étudiants du CPB qui m'ont toujours épaulée et encouragée avec gentillesse et gaieté: Cécile QUANTIN, Valérie TONIAZZO,

Rue du Général Delestraìnt, 57070 l\¡etz Borny. RESUME L'existence d'Andosols dans ¡es Vosges est aujourd'hui bien démontrée, mais ces Andosols sont à peu près totalement dépouruus d'allophanes et riches en complexes organo-métalliques stables et non mobiles. Leur extension géograph¡que est réduite car leur développemeni exige la conjonction d'une part de conditions climatiques humides propices à I'altération des minéraux et froides affaiblissant I'aciivité bjologique minéralisatrice des mat¡ères organjques, d'autre part de la présence de roches mères basiques riches en minéraux altérables. Cependant, lorsque les conditions propices à I'andosolisation sont réunies, le degré de développement du processus demeure modeste en regard de ce qui peut être renconiré dans le lvlassif Central Une comparaison minutieuse a été menée sur deux stat¡ons, représentative chacune de l'andosolisation la mieux exprimée dans les Vosges et dans la Chaîne des Puys. La composit¡on chimique de la roche mère apparaît comme principal responsable de I'orientation de la pédogenèse. Sa texture, son assemblage minéralog¡que, sa compacité, sont déterminants dans le degré de développement du processus. Dans les Vosges, I'absence de matériaux pyroclastiques vitreux, meubles, explique les partìcular¡tés de I'andosoììsation. Les roches volcaniques basiques massives, non ou peu vitreuses conduisent à des Andosols non allophaniques (Arunnoosors, R.P, AFES, 199S), Mots clés AndosoL Vosges, Mass¡f Central sols de nontagne, roche-mère, pédogenèse. SUMMARY PARENT MATEBIAL AND ANDOSOLISATION IN TEMPERATE MOUNTAIN ENVIBONMENT A comparison rccent pyroclastic tocksold volcanic nassive rocks [n the Vosges mounta¡ns, the occuffence of Andosols is now well establìshed, but these Andosols arc almost devoid of allophane and show high anounts of stable and immob¡le organo-metall¡c complexes. They cover only a snall area as their developnent needs the union, on the one hand, of hum¡d climatic condítions allow¡ng n¡nenlweatheting and cold temperatures rcduc¡ng oryanic matter m¡ne-rcl¡satíon by biolog¡cal activity, and on the other hand, of basic parent rcck w¡th h¡gh anounts of weatheruble minenls. Howevet, even ¡f Reçu: nai200A; Accepté: juillel 200A Élu(le et Cestion des Sois,7,2, m00pâges 119 à 132

Rue du Général Delestraìnt, 57070 l\¡etz Borny. RESUME L'existence d'Andosols dans ¡es Vosges est aujourd'hui bien démontrée, mais ces Andosols sont à peu près totalement dépouruus d'allophanes et riches en complexes organo-métalliques stables et non mobiles. Leur extension géograph¡que est réduite car leur développemeni exige la conjonction d'une part de conditions climatiques humides propices à I'altération des minéraux et froides affaiblissant I'aciivité bjologique minéralisatrice des mat¡ères organjques, d'autre part de la présence de roches mères basiques riches en minéraux altérables. Cependant, lorsque les conditions propices à I'andosolisation sont réunies, le degré de développement du processus demeure modeste en regard de ce qui peut être renconiré dans le lvlassif Central Une comparaison minutieuse a été menée sur deux stat¡ons, représentative chacune de l'andosolisation la mieux exprimée dans les Vosges et dans la Chaîne des Puys. La composit¡on chimique de la roche mère apparaît comme principal responsable de I'orientation de la pédogenèse. Sa texture, son assemblage minéralog¡que, sa compacité, sont déterminants dans le degré de développement du processus. Dans les Vosges, I'absence de matériaux pyroclastiques vitreux, meubles, explique les partìcular¡tés de I'andosoììsation. Les roches volcaniques basiques massives, non ou peu vitreuses conduisent à des Andosols non allophaniques (Arunnoosors, R.P, AFES, 199S), Mots clés AndosoL Vosges, Mass¡f Central sols de nontagne, roche-mère, pédogenèse. SUMMARY PARENT MATEBIAL AND ANDOSOLISATION IN TEMPERATE MOUNTAIN ENVIBONMENT A comparison rccent pyroclastic tocksold volcanic nassive rocks [n the Vosges mounta¡ns, the occuffence of Andosols is now well establìshed, but these Andosols arc almost devoid of allophane and show high anounts of stable and immob¡le organo-metall¡c complexes. They cover only a snall area as their developnent needs the union, on the one hand, of hum¡d climatic condítions allow¡ng n¡nenlweatheting and cold temperatures rcduc¡ng oryanic matter m¡ne-rcl¡satíon by biolog¡cal activity, and on the other hand, of basic parent rcck w¡th h¡gh anounts of weatheruble minenls. Howevet, even ¡f Reçu: nai200A; Accepté: juillel 200A Élu(le et Cestion des Sois,7,2, m00pâges 119 à 132

Untangling the nuanced relationships between landscape, fire disturbance, human agency, and climate is key to understanding rapid population declines of firesensitive plant species. Using multiple lines of evidence across temporal and spatial scales (vegetation survey, stand structure analysis, dendrochronology, and fire history reconstruction), we document landscape-scale population collapse of the

Athrotaxis cupressoides is a slow-growing and long-lived conifer that occurs in the subalpine temperate forests of Tasmania, a continental island to the south of Australia. In 1960-1961, human-ignited wildfires occurred during an extremely dry summer that killed many A. cupressoides stands on the high plateau in the center of Tasmania. That fire year, coupled with subsequent regeneration failure, caused a loss of ca. 10% of the geographic extent of this endemic Tasmanian forest type. To provide historical context for these large-scale fire events, we (i) collected dendroecological, floristic, and structural data, (ii) documented the postfire survival and regeneration of A. cupressoides and co-occurring understory species, and (iii) assessed postfire understory plant community composition and flammability. We found that fire frequency did not vary following the arrival of European settlers, and that A. cupressoides populations were able to persist under a regime of low-to-mid severity fires prior to the 1960 fires. Our data indicate that the 1960 fires were (i) of greater severity than previous fires, (ii) herbivory by native marsupials may limit seedling survival in both burned and unburned A. cupressoides stands, and (iii) the loss of A. cupressoides populations is largely irreversible given the relatively high fuel loads of postfire vegetation communities that are dominated by resprouting shrubs. We suggest that the feedback between regeneration failure and increased flammability will be further exacerbated by a warmer and drier climate causing A. cupressoides to contract to the most fireproof landscape settings.

Characterizing Forest Fragments in Boreal, Temperate, and Tropical Ecosystems An increased ability to analyze landscapes in a spatial manner through the use of remote sensing leads to improved capabilities for quantifying human-induced forest fragmentation. Developments of spatially explicit methods in landscape analyses are emerging. In this paper, the image delineation software program eCognition and the spatial pattern analysis program FRAG-STATS were used to quantify patterns of forest fragments on six landscapes across three different climatic regions characterized by different moisture regimes and different influences of human pressure. Our results support the idea that landscapes with higher road and population density are more fragmented; however, there are other, equally influential factors contributing to fragmentation, such as moisture regime, historic land use, and fire dynamics. Our method provided an objective means to characterize landscapes and assess patterns of forest fragments across different forested ecosystems by addressing the limitations of pixel-based classification and incorporating image objects.

Organisms that reproduce in temperate regions have limited time to produce offspring successfully, and this constraint is expected to be more pronounced in areas with short growing seasons. Information concerning how reproductive ecology of endotherms might be influenced by growing season length (GSL) is rare, and species that breed over a broad geographic range provide an opportunity to study the effects of time constraints on reproductive strategies. We analyzed data from a temperate-breeding bird, the lesser scaup Aythya affinis; hereafter scaup, collected at eight sites across a broad gradient of GSL to evaluate three hypotheses related to reproductive compensation in response to varying time constraints. Clutch initiation date in scaup was unaffected by GSL and was unrelated to latitude; spring thaw dates had a marginal impact on timing of breeding. Clutch size declined during the nesting season, as is reported frequently in bird species, but was also unaffected by GSL. Scaup do not appear to compensate for shorter growing seasons by more rapidly reducing clutch size. This study demonstrates that this species is remarkably consistent in terms of timing of breeding and clutch size, regardless of growing season characteristics. Such inflexibility could make this species particularly sensitive to environmental changes that affect resource availabilities.

La necesidad y avidez de un periodismo más plural, libre y crítico tras la dictadura franquista propició el nacimiento de algunos medios que contribuyeron a transformar las rutinas de la profesión. En 1976 surgieron cabeceras nacionales clave como El País y Diario 16; pero también desde la periferia se sumaron otras como Avuí en Cataluña ese mismo año y Deia y Egin desde el País Vasco en 1977. No solo los medios que surgieron durante la Transición ejercieron un periodismo más audaz y cercano al ciudadano sino que los tradicionales que arrastraban décadas de inercias bajo el control del Estado se transformaron para adaptarse a las nuevas sensibilidades.

Plant-soil feedbacks have important implications for community composition and restoration. However, relatively few field trials test the influence of plant-soil feedbacks, especially on longer-lived species, such as trees. Here we present a field restoration experiment with 10 ectomycorrhizal fungal tree species native to eastern North America. Trees were inoculated with soils collected from conspecifics in the field or from a heterospecific: Quercus rubra. Following 16 months of growth in the field, Carya ovata diameter increase was significantly greater in trees receiving the heterospecific inoculant. This plant-soil feedback is consistent with C. ovata's natural co-occurrence with Q. rubra. Conversely, Quercus macrocarpa diameter increase and Carya cordiformis height increase were significantly greater when inoculated with conspecific soils, and this positive plant-soil feedback is consistent with their numerical dominance in natural communities. We found no evidence for phylogenetic Janzen-Connell effects or conservation of soil mutualists across tree species. We also quantified differences in soil fungal community structure with next generation sequencing methods (Illumina MiSeq) following 16 months in the field. Shannon's diversity of fungal taxa was greater in heterospecific soils of seven of our nine experimental species, consistent with a diversifying influence of Quercus rubra soil inocula. However, only one genus, Ulmus, exhibited differences in fungal community composition derived from conspecific and heterospecific sources, suggesting a stronger effect of focal tree species than of soil inocula source. The relatedness among focal tree species also influenced fungal community composition, with tree families and genera displaying different fungal communities. We suggest that future experiments should determine whether more diverse tree and fungal communities might have enhanced ecosystem functioning in tree restoration sites.

El cambio climático representa el síntoma más visible de la crisis ambiental, de estilo de desarrollo y de sentido profundo que vive el planeta. Los impactos de los eventos extremos que acompañan al cambio climático se hacen sentir más fuerte en los países menos desarrollados, con mayores niveles de pobreza y vulnerabilidad ambiental, como es el caso de África, Asia y América Latina. El presente trabajo se ocupa del impacto del cambio climático a nivel local, considerando interrelaciones históricas entre ecosistemas y poblados humanos. Se busca correlacionar percepciones y prácticas sociales de comunidades locales con escenarios futuros probables del desarrollo de la Región del Bío Bío, proyectados mediante modelación socio climática.

Mountain forests are among the most important ecosystems in Europe as they support numerous ecological, hydrological, climatic, social, and economic functions. They are unique relatively natural ecosystems consisting of long-lived species in an otherwise densely populated human landscape. Despite this, centuries of intensive forest management in many of these forests have eclipsed evidence of natural processes, especially the role of disturbances in long-term forest dynamics. Recent trends of land abandonment and establishment of protected forests have coincided with a growing interest in managing forests in more natural states. At the same time, the importance of past disturbances highlighted in an emerging body of literature, and recent increasing disturbances due to climate change are challenging long-held views of dynamics in these ecosystems. Here, we synthesize aspects of this Special Issue on the ecology of mountain forest ecosystems in Europe in the context of broader discussions in the field, to present a new perspective on these ecosystems and their natural disturbance regimes. Most mountain forests in Europe, for which long-term data are available, show a strong and long-term effect of not only human land use but also of natural disturbances that vary by orders of magnitude in size and *

We analysed the effect of the 2018 European drought on greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange of five North European mire ecosystems. The low precipitation and high summer temperatures in Fennoscandia led to a lowered water table in the majority of these mires. This lowered both carbon dioxide (CO 2) uptake and methane (CH 4) emission during 2018, turning three out of the five mires from CO 2 sinks to sources. The calculated radiative forcing showed that the drought-induced changes in GHG fluxes first resulted in a cooling effect lasting 15-50 years, due to the lowered CH 4 emission, which was followed by warming due to the lower CO 2 uptake. This article is part of the theme issue 'Impacts of the 2018 severe drought and heatwave in Europe: from site to continental scale'.

La reproducción total o parcial del contenido e imágenes de esta publicación se rige de acuerdo a normas internacionales sobre protección a los derechos de autor, con criterio especificados en la licencia Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Evaluación de la regeneración natural de tres especies coníferas en áreas de distribución natural en el altiplano occidental de Guatemala

La reproducción total o parcial del contenido e imágenes de esta publicación se rige de acuerdo a normas internacionales sobre protección a los derechos de autor, con criterio especificados en la licencia Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Evaluación de la regeneración natural de tres especies coníferas en áreas de distribución natural en el altiplano occidental de Guatemala