<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>To identify restoration strategies over degraded semi-natural plant communities, successional pathways and their local controls should be identified. The objective of this work is to quantify the changes in the physiognomy and functional groups of plant communities in the Sierras Chicas of Córdoba along seven years. Lyapunov coefficients were calculated and arranged in two-phase diagrams, identifying different successional pathways over two soil categories and six plant communities. Du Rietz`s life forms were identified defining several plant functional groups. Results showed two successional pathways in the field of azonal soils and three in the field of intrazonal soils. Rainfall, extent of human-caused disturbances, and plant interactions are the leading causes explaining the changes in the structure of the plant communities. Fire and overgrazing retract the successions by altering the cover of plant communities and their functional groups.</p>
</abstract>

To identify restoration strategies over degraded semi-natural plant communities, successional pathways and their local controls should be identified. The objective of this work is to quantify the changes in the physiognomy and functional groups of plant communities in the Sierras Chicas of Córdoba along seven years. Lyapunov coefficients were calculated and arranged in two-phase diagrams, identifying different successional pathways over two soil categories and six plant communities. Du Rietz`s life forms were identified defining several plant functional groups. Results showed two successional pathways in the field of azonal soils and three in the field of intrazonal soils. Rainfall, extent of human-caused disturbances, and plant interactions are the leading causes explaining the changes in the structure of the plant communities. Fire and overgrazing retract the successions by altering the cover of plant communities and their functional groups.

Mid-term changes in the physiognomy of plant communities and functional plant groups define successional pathways of mountain vegetation in the province of Córdoba (Argentina)

Universidad Nacional de Córdoba – Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias

Folia Oecologica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

To identify restoration strategies over degraded semi-natural plant communities, successional pathways and their local controls should be identified. The...

Mid-term changes in the physiognomy of plant communities and functional plant groups define successional pathways of mountain vegetation in the province of Córdoba (Argentina)

Published Online: Mar 01, 2021

Page range: 9 - 24

Received: Jul 28, 2020

Accepted: Nov 27, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2021-0002

Keywords
azonal soils, forests, grasslands, intrazonal soils, plant community, woodlands

© 2021 Marcos Sebastián Karlin et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mid-term changes in the physiognomy of plant communities and functional plant groups define successional pathways of mountain vegetation in the province of Córdoba (Argentina)

Published Online: Mar 01, 2021

Page range: 9 - 24

Received: Jul 28, 2020

Accepted: Nov 27, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2021-0002

Keywordsazonal soils, forests, grasslands, intrazonal soils, plant community, woodlands

© 2021 Marcos Sebastián Karlin et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
azonal soils, forests, grasslands, intrazonal soils, plant community, woodlands