Browsing by Author "Delpiano, Cristian A."

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    Facilitation by pioneer trees and herbivore exclusion allow regeneration of woody species in the semiarid ecosystem of central Chile
    (2023) Gomez-Fernandez, Nicolas A.; Smith-Ramirez, Cecilia; Delpiano, Cristian A.; Miranda, Alejandro; Vasquez, Inao A.; Becerra, Pablo I.
    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 of woody species in degraded savannas.
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    Seed dispersal distance, seed morphology, and recruitment in the Chilean sclerophyllous tree Quillaja saponaria: implications for passive restoration in a semiarid ecosystem
    (2022) Vasquez, Inao; Miranda, Alejandro; Delpiano, Cristian A.; Becerra, Pablo, I
    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, and germination probability is positively affected by seed mass. We evaluated these hypotheses in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem of central Chile, using the wind-dispersed tree species Quillaja saponaria. We assessed the seed rain curve in a degraded open area adjacent to a remnant forest fragment of this species, and related seed mass with dispersal distance from the seed source. Then, we evaluated the relationship between seed mass, germination, and seedling growth, and if seeds that fall nearer the seed source have greater germination probability. We found a decreasing seed rain with the distance from the seed source. Seed mass was not related to dispersal distance, although seeds with higher wing area dispersed further. Germination probability was significantly and positively related to the seed mass. We observed no significant relationship between distance and germination probability. We conclude that germination probability of this species does not vary along the seed rain curve, and that the recruitment density would be greater near the seed source only due to decreasing seed rain with distance. Our results suggest that this species has the potential to be passively restored in degraded areas, especially within the first 70 m from the remnant forest fragments.