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Introduction
I work in vegetation ecology, studying different factors that affect regeneration, structure and dynamic of plant communities, such as plant-plant interactions, herbivory, exotic species invasion, and disturbances such as fires, fragmentation, among others. I am also interested in factors and treatments that can help to restore native ecosystems.
Skills and Expertise
Publications
Publications (66)
La restauración de zonas degradadas comúnmente se inicia recuperando la cobertura vegetal mediante métodos de revegetación, los cuales se apoyan de diversas técnicas para establecer las plantas de las especies objetivo (leñosas y/o herbáceas). Además de la correcta elección de la especie y la procedencia del material de propagación, las técnicas qu...
Key message
Using artificial shading in reforested seedlings is recommended for different species, irrigation levels and soil treatments in semiarid ecosystems, but the application of pork sludge and horse guano are ineffective.
Abstract
Application of irrigation, artificial shade and soil amendments can increase the survival of seedlings in plant...
Seed predation may reduce the quantity and diversity of seeds and limit seedling recruitment. However, the extent to which seed predation may depend on the species and vegetational microhabitat has been less studied. We studied seed predation of woody species in the Mediterranean-type ecosystem of central Chile. We explored if interspecific differe...
Questions
Facilitation by pioneer plants and herbivore exclusion may contribute to plant regeneration and restoration of degraded semiarid ecosystems. In this study we evaluated the main and interactive effects of the exclusion of large and medium‐sized mammal herbivores and the presence of the pioneer tree Vachellia caven on natural regeneration o...
Fires are a frequent type of disturbance in many ecosystems, with strong consequences for vegetation. Despite the common nature of fires in central Chile, few studies have monitored changes in vegetation after they have occurred. This work describes the dynamic of the vegetation in the town of Rastrojos, Maule region, after the mega-fire that occur...
Recolonization of wind-dispersed tree species in degraded areas may decline with distance from remnant forest fragments because seed rain frequently decreases with distance from the seed source. However, regeneration of these species may be even more limited to sites close to the seed source if dispersal distance is negatively affected by seed mass...
It has been debated if Chilean sclerophyllous vegetation can recover after fire of different severity and short and long term. We evaluated the resiliency of this vegetation type after single-occurrence fires of different severities that occurred 30, 20 and 10 years in Central Chile before the study. Two approaches were followed: satellite image an...
El presente manual se desarrolló en el marco del proyecto “Técnicas silviculturales costo-efectivas para reducción de estrés hídrico de plantas en procesos de restauración de bosque esclerófilo” (Proyecto FIBN 034/2018), financiado por el
Fondo de Investigación del Bosque Nativo (FIBN) y patrocinado por la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile....
The importance of the sowing method (broadcasting or burying) for seedling establishment, and the extent to which environmental conditions modulate differences between these sowing methods, are understudied. When seeds are buried, they may be exposed to soil conditions with higher moisture content than broadcast. This advantage may occur especially...
Post-fire recovery of sites in the Chilean Mediterranean vegetation were evaluated 20–30 years after the last fire. We mapped all fires that occurred between 1985 and 2015 in Central Chile using Landsat images. In order to conduct a spatial analysis of vegetation recovery and field sample, we chose sites burned between 1985 and 1995 that retained n...
Los bosques ribereños han sido destacados por presentar una diversidad biológica singular y una alta importancia en servicios
ecosistémicos. Sin embargo, son también ecosistemas amenazados por actividades forestales, ganadería o agricultura. En Chile, son
limitados los estudios que evalúan la diversidad y estructura de la vegetación de los bosques...
Native forest replacement by exotic forestry plantations and fragmentation may have different consequences for biodiversity. In the transition zone between the Mediterranean and Temperate Regions of Chile, native forests have been replaced and fragmented, and currently are surrounded by Pinus radiata plantations. However, the effects of these chang...
Background
The effects of many invasive species on invaded communities are still scarcely known. Centaurea solstitialis is an invasive Eurasian herb, widely distributed around the world, but its effects on recipient communities are not well known.
Aims
To evaluate the effect of C. solstitialis invasion on richness and cover of native and exotic re...
El presente documento entrega los resultados obtenidos en el marco del Proyecto “Evaluación de técnicas pasivas y activas para la recuperación del bosque esclerófilo de Chile central” 007/2013, que ha sido financiado por el Fondo de Investigación del Bosque Nativo de CONAF.
The presence and attributes of perch trees in degraded areas may promote seed dispersal. We evaluated the effect
of the distance from remnant forest fragments on seed rain of different fleshy-fruit tree species and examined
whether the seed rain is favoured by some traits of the perch trees (Acacia caven), such as canopy diameter and
tree height. T...
Aim
We studied the novel weapons hypothesis in the context of the broadly distributed tree species Eucalyptus globulus . We evaluated the hypothesis that this Australian species would produce stronger inhibitory effects on species from its non‐native range than on species from its native range.
Location
We worked in four countries where this speci...
Chile central es una de las áreas prioritarias para conservar la biodiversidad a nivel mundial. La principal causa de pérdida de biodiversidad en estos ecosistemas es el cambio de uso de suelo. En los últimos 40 años, el cambio de bosque nativo a plantaciones exóticas en ambientes montañosos ha sido el principal. Estudiamos las respuestas taxonómic...
Background: As riparian habitats are legally protected, they have been maintained even in areas where extensive reforestation by exotic species occurred in areas surrounding riparian environments. However, the extent to which the riparian plant communities have been affected by the replacement of native forest on slopes has rarely been investigated...
Background
Latitudinal and altitudinal patterns of plant species richness have frequently been related to different climate variables such as precipitation, temperature and evapotranspiration. However, studies assessing this relationship have mostly compared different regions and used regional scales of richness (in quadrants of several km2). It is...
In Southern Patagonia, introduction of exotic grasses after forest fires strongly restricts restoration of Nothofagus spp forests. The use of polycarbonate shelters to shield Nothofagus seedlings has been not enough for getting restoration success. Selection of natural facilitation microsites (i.e. logs, rocks, pioneer plants) for seedling outplant...
Drought-avoidance traits of South American Mediterranean tree species are crucial attributes to consider in nursery practices to improve the performance of seedlings exposed to intense summer drought in dryland reforestation projects. In this study, we determined the relation between nursery fertilization doses and the development of drought-avoida...
There is a direct relationship between soil nutrient concentration in localized zones and root proliferation and elongation under well-watered conditions. However, in field studies under semiarid conditions this relationship can change due to higher salt accumulation and soil dryness that affect root growth, water stress resistance, and seedling su...
Native vegetation development in forestry plantations may depend on seed dispersal, seed predation and seed germination. These processes may depend on distance to native forest fragments and presence of understory. In this study we evaluated the effect of distance to native forests on seed rain and seed predation and the effect of presence of under...
An important issue in ecological restoration of forest ecosystems is to establish where reforestation is more limited by ecological factors and thus where additional treatments (e.g. irrigation, shading) are more needed. Population growth, density and reproduction in plants have frequently been documented to decrease with altitude, although in semi...
Cultivated land has increased in Chile as a result of a process in which native woodland sites were converted to agricultural production. This process had an intermediate step in which sclerophyll species were replaced by Acacia caven, prior to cattle grazing. This land use change presents environmental impacts resulting from carbon losses of ecosy...
In the Mediterranean region of Chile, populations of the threatened tree Beilschmiedia miersii have been strongly affected by anthropic disturbances, causing a critical state of conservation. Herbivory has been proposed as the main factor that currently limits the regeneration of this species. We studied the effect of large vs. small herbivores on...
The natural history of introduced species is often unclear due to a lack of historical records. Even when historical information is readily available, important factors of the invasions such as genetic bottlenecks, hybridization, historical relationships among populations and adaptive changes are left unknown. In this study, we developed a set of n...
QuestionWhat is the effect of invading individuals of the widely invasive species Pinus radiata D. Don on regeneration of native woody species in a semi-arid ecosystem? LocationA semi-arid ecosystem in central Chile. Methods
We sampled natural regeneration of native woody species in 40 plots in each of three canopy types: (1) under young adult inva...
Se estableció un ensayo a largo plazo para determinar el potencial totalmente expresado de la
capacidad de recuperación del bosque esclerófilo. Se evaluaron: 1) los efectos de la exclusión de
herbívoros en áreas con Acacia caven cercanas a bosque esclerófilo; y 2) las condiciones que pueden aumentar el éxito de medidas de restauración pasiva. Dur...
A pesar de que varios estudios han observado que la fragmentación del hábitat facilita la invasión de especies exóticas, trabajos realizados en distintos taxa han observado patrones diferentes. Lamentablemente, el uso de diferentes tipos de ecosistemas y métricas de fragmentación no permite establecer la generalidad del efecto de la fragmentación e...
El riego ha sido frecuentemente considerado un paso necesario en la reforestación de áreas abiertas de ecosistemas semiáridos. Sin embargo, el éxito del riego ha sido evaluado principalmente usando plantas jóvenes, típicamente menores de un año de edad. Muy pocos estudios han explorado si el rol del riego es también importante en plantas de mayor e...
La región de clima Mediterráneo de Chile central es clasificada como un hotspot de biodiversidad, con un alto endemismo y nivel de degradación antrópica. Sin embargo, dentro de esta región, las condiciones de variación topográfica, ya sea altitudinal o de exposición, puede modificar significativamente las condiciones de temperatura y humedad, lo cu...
Aim Our aim in this study was to document the global biogeographic variation in the effects of soil microbes on the growth of Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle; Asteraceae), a species that has been introduced throughout the world, but has become highly invasive only in some introduced regions.
Location To assess biogeographic variation in...
Theory predicts that in more stressful environments, positive plant-plant interactions should be more important than negative ones. For instance, in arid and semiarid regions, amelioration of soil drought produced by the shade of established plants could facilitate establishment of other species, in spite of light reduction. However, this theory ha...
Background/Question/Methods
Pinus radiata is a tree species native from California, USA, and is the main forestry species planted in Chile and other countries from the southern hemisphere. Many studies have assessed the invasion by this species, but none has evaluated the effect of its invasion on native species. In this study I assessed the effec...
Location and elevation of populations used for seed and soil collections for greenhouse experiments. Centaurea solstitialis seeds are abbreviated as Cs.
(XLS)
Background:
Biological invasions are fundamentally biogeographic processes that occur over large spatial scales. Interactions with soil microbes can have strong impacts on plant invasions, but how these interactions vary among areas where introduced species are highly invasive vs. naturalized is still unknown. In this study, we examined biogeograp...
Questions: What is the effect of herbaceous layer on seedling establishment of three woody pioneer species in open areas of central Chile under a semi-arid mediterranean climate? How do inter-annual and habitat conditions (slope aspect) modulate this effect? Under high stress conditions such as the drier year and habitat (north-facing slope) do her...
Human impact such as forest fragmentation and degradation may have strong effects on native and exotic plant communities. In addition, these human-caused disturbances occur mostly in lowlands producing greater fragmentation and degradation there than in higher elevations. Plant invasion should be greater in more fragmented and degraded forests and...
Human impact such as forest fragmentation and degradation may have strong effects on native and exotic plant communities. In addition, these human-caused disturbances occur mostly in lowlands producing greater fragmentation and degradation there than in higher elevations. Plant invasion should be greater in more fragmented and degraded forests and...
Herbivory may be an important factor affecting seedling survival of exotic species invading new habitats. We evaluated the effect of vertebrate herbivory on the seedling survival of two widely planted and invasive tree species (Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus), in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem of central Chile. An important role of herbivory...
La fragmentación de bosques es una creciente amenaza para la conservación de su biodiversidad ya que genera cambios microambientales por efecto borde y aislamiento de especies. El tamaño de fragmento ha sido documentado como el factor más crítico determinante de cambios microambientales y biodiversidad. En este estudio se evalúa el efecto del tamañ...
Resumen: La restauración ecológica cobra gran importancia entre las medidas para contrarrestar el cambio global. Esto es aún más relevante en zonas de Hotspots de biodiversidad tales como la región Mediterránea de Chile. Desde hace poco tiempo se han comenzado a realizar plantaciones con especies forestales nativas en esta región de Chile, principa...
In this paper the assemblage of alien tree species inhabiting in the Río San Ramón watershed is described. This watershed is located at East border of Santiago, central Chile. Particularly, we documented the flora of alien tree species, the invasion state (not naturalized, naturalized, invader), abundance and population structure of each species. I...
In this paper the assemblage of alien tree species inhabiting in the Río San Ramón watershed is described. This watershed is located at East border of Santiago, central Chile. Particularly, we documented the flora of alien tree species, the invasion state (not naturalized, naturalized, invader), abundance and population structure of each species. I...
Tesis (Ingeniero Forestal) -- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2006. Incluye bibliografía.
Question: What effects do leaf litter and rainfall regime have on seed germination (time and probability) and seedling survival of the endangered tree species Beilschmiedia miersii (Lauraceae)? Location: The species is a native tree from the mediterranean climate region of Chile. Seeds were collected from LaCampana National Park (Chile). The study...
Question: What effects do leaf litter and rainfall regime have on seed germination (time and probability) and seedling survival of the endangered tree species Beilschmiedia miersii (Lauraceae)?
Location: The species is a native tree from the mediterranean climate region of Chile. Seeds were collected from La Campana National Park (Chile). The study...
The first symposium on Alien Plant Invasions in Chile was held in southern Chile in November of 2002. Chile represents an interesting setting to study biological invasions because of its long history of introductions, and its high rate of endemisms that makes it more prone to invasions. However, little is known about plant invasions in Chile and th...
In this paper we characterise the flora and vegetation of Ascotan saltmarsh, located in the Andes of northern Chile. The saltmarsh flora, comprising 21 species, is completely different from the flora of surrounding slopes, differing not only in species composition but also in lifeform spectrum. The saltmarsh is dominated by hemicryptophytes, wherea...
In this paper we characterise the flora and vegetation of Ascotan saltmarsh, located in the Andes of northern Chile. The saltmarsh flora, comprising 21 species, is completely different from the flora of surrounding slopes, differing not only in species composition but also in lifeform spectrum. The saltmarsh is dominated by hemicryptophytes, wherea...
