Utilizando la metodología fitosociológica para diferenciar hábitats:un ejemplo con especies chilenas de schinus (anacardiaceae) en la región de aisén, chile

Abstract

Habitats of Schinus patagonicus and Schinus marchandii in the Chilean Patagonia were studied, in order to determinethe plant communities into these species growing and the primary or secondary character of them, to help establishthe conservation status of the two species. We worked with phytosociological methods to characterize floristic andvegetationaly the communities. The vegetation table is ordered with traditional methods, using differential species andwith multivariate statistical classification and ordination methods. The initial vegetation table provided 68 plant speciesof which 26 are introduced weed. In the biological spectrum dominated hemicryptophytes and minor phanerophytes andtherophytes. Traditional management of the vegetation table separated the Mutisio-Schinetum patagonicae (“clavel delaire” and “molle” scrub) and Colliguajo-Schinetum marchandii (“duraznillo” and “laura” steppe scrub) new associationsthat are described. Comparison of these two communities established that they are floristically very different and thattheir phytosociological affinity is low, the first is a secondary scrub community that replaces the deciduous patagonic“lenga” forest and the “ñire” scrub degraded by human action and the second, a primary steppe community. The abundantpresence of Mulinum spinosum differentiates degraded stages of these two communities specially the first. The secondarycharacter of the “clavel del aire” and “molle” community confirms the more aggressive and competitive position of Schinuspatagonicus, which ensures their survival as a species, but the primary character and the small size of the scrub of “laura”and “duraznillo” scrub also areal reduction of Schinus marchandii indicate that the conservation status of the latter speciesin Chile is poor.