Abstract

PERAZZO, Agostina  and  RODRIGUEZ, Juan. Fire impact on non vascular vegetation on soil: a case of study on Polylepis australis (Rosaceae) forests from central Argentina. Lilloa [online]. 2019, vol.56, n.2, pp.67-80. ISSN 0075-9481.  http://dx.doi.org/doi.org/10.30550/j.lil/2019.56.2/6.

The non vascular vegetation is formed by lichens, mosses, algae and cyanobacteria, both epiphytic and growing on soil. The aim of this work was to estimate the impact of fire on the coverage of bryophytes and soil lichens in forest plots of Polylepis australis (Tabaquillo) in Quebrada del Condorito National Park (PNQC), in central Argentina. In a sector of the Protected Area in Setember 2015, 40 plots of 30 x 30 m were selected, 20 in unburned and 20 in burned forests. Fifteen months after the incident, five quadrates of 2 x 2 m were randomly selected in each plot to estimate ground cover, differentiating lichens and bryophytes. In addition, the coverage of vascular plants, bare soil and mulch were recorded. As explanatory variables, orientation and slope of each square and plot measured. Furthermore, we estimated the forest cover before fire and fire severity. The results show a very low surface of the burned soli covered by lichens and bryophytes, despite the recovery of the vascular vegetation. Lichens and bryophytes coverage vary depending on the microsite characteristics, both in burned and unburned plots. Here, we discuss the possible impact of the loss of this coverage on forest ecosystem of Polylepis.

Keywords : Bryophytes; fire; lichens; tabaquillo.

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