Optimal environmental drivers of high-mountains forest: Polylepis tarapacana cover evaluation in their southernmost distribution range of the Andes
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Optimal environmental drivers of high-mountains forest : Polylepis tarapacana cover evaluation in their southernmost distribution range of the Andes. / López, Victoria Lien; Huertas Herrera, Alejandro; Rosas, Yamina Micaela; Cellini, Juan Manuel.
In: Trees, Forests and People, Vol. 9, 100321, 2022.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Optimal environmental drivers of high-mountains forest
T2 - Polylepis tarapacana cover evaluation in their southernmost distribution range of the Andes
AU - López, Victoria Lien
AU - Huertas Herrera, Alejandro
AU - Rosas, Yamina Micaela
AU - Cellini, Juan Manuel
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The Andes Mountains are considered a global biodiversity hotspot, where Polylepis forests are one of the most threatened forests in the area. We evaluate the P. tarapacana forest's distribution and cover and relate this pattern with topographic, climatic and geographic environmental factors at the landscape level. Along 93 plots, forest structure data was conducted according to their homogeneity, accessibility, and size (patches up to > 1 ha each). Hexagon binning processes were used to estimate the forest cover, as the proportion of hexagon area covered by forests, and one-way ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate its variation according to the environmental factors. Our results show that P. tarapacana forests are widely distributed, occupying a forest area of 8519.8 ha among 2462 forest patches and an average of 6.7% of forest cover (1296 hexagons - 129600 ha). According to the findings, the entire forest distribution encompasses a wide range of environmental conditions. We identify that the slopes and elevations were the main environmental drivers that shaped P. tarapacana distribution and cover. Variations in forest area and cover indicate a strong preference for north and east-facing slopes (18 and 24°) and intermediate elevations (4400 - 4500 m a.s.l), with a life zone of Tropical subalpine dry scrub accounting for 62.1%. Our research shows that remote sensing mapping and geographic information systems are effective methods for identifying habitat variables linked to threatened forest cover and evidence of forest vulnerability in the face of continuous global change.
AB - The Andes Mountains are considered a global biodiversity hotspot, where Polylepis forests are one of the most threatened forests in the area. We evaluate the P. tarapacana forest's distribution and cover and relate this pattern with topographic, climatic and geographic environmental factors at the landscape level. Along 93 plots, forest structure data was conducted according to their homogeneity, accessibility, and size (patches up to > 1 ha each). Hexagon binning processes were used to estimate the forest cover, as the proportion of hexagon area covered by forests, and one-way ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate its variation according to the environmental factors. Our results show that P. tarapacana forests are widely distributed, occupying a forest area of 8519.8 ha among 2462 forest patches and an average of 6.7% of forest cover (1296 hexagons - 129600 ha). According to the findings, the entire forest distribution encompasses a wide range of environmental conditions. We identify that the slopes and elevations were the main environmental drivers that shaped P. tarapacana distribution and cover. Variations in forest area and cover indicate a strong preference for north and east-facing slopes (18 and 24°) and intermediate elevations (4400 - 4500 m a.s.l), with a life zone of Tropical subalpine dry scrub accounting for 62.1%. Our research shows that remote sensing mapping and geographic information systems are effective methods for identifying habitat variables linked to threatened forest cover and evidence of forest vulnerability in the face of continuous global change.
KW - Climate change
KW - Environmental variables
KW - Forest area
KW - High mountain ecosystems
U2 - 10.1016/j.tfp.2022.100321
DO - 10.1016/j.tfp.2022.100321
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85136540032
VL - 9
JO - Trees, Forests and People
JF - Trees, Forests and People
SN - 2666-7193
M1 - 100321
ER -
ID: 323985926