May 03, 2022
Intraspecific trait variability of shrubs from two mediterranean shrub communities in Chile
Study area. A) Republic of Chile. B) Cortaderal and Miraflores sites in the O’Higgins Region, central Chile. C) Shrub vegetation at the sites.
Relationship between moisture content (%) and basic wood density (g cm-3) of the 14 shrub species. The areas correspond to minimal convex polygons, e.g., the 2-dimensional feature space in which pairs of MC - BWD values were observed for each species.
Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) is a common feature of many life forms, including trees and shrubs. This variation is still poorly understood and it is an open question how ITV is related to species coexistence. This study presents the variability in two traits of 14 shrub species, sampled in two sites representing different shrub communities (10 vs. 4 coexisting species) and contrasting environmental conditions (water availability) in the mediteranean shrubland in central Chile. Because intraspecific variability could not be explained by shrub size and pronounced differences in wood density also occurred between species of the same genus (e.g., Baccharis linearis and Baccharis macraei), our results suggest that phylogenetic affinity may be less important than adaptation to local conditions. This work also demonstrates that for estimating carbon stocks of wood, species-specific responses to environmental conditions should be taken into account.
The article is part of Erico Kutchartt's PhD thesis and was prepared in cooperation with partners from Chile, Mexico and Italy, under the guidance of Martin Zwanzig and has now been published in the open access journal 'Forest Systems':
Kutchartt, E., Gayoso, J., Guerra, J., Pirotti, F., Castagneri, D., Anfodillo, T., Rojas,
Y., Olson, M., Zwanzig, M. (2022): Basic wood density and moisture content of 14
shrub species under two different site conditions in the Chilean Mediterranean shrubland. Forest Systems 31(1): 18160.