Abstract

VIGNONI, Ana Paz; PERALTA, Iris Edith  and  ABRAHAM, Elena María. Fragmented areas due to agricultural activity: native vegetation dynamics at crop interface (Montecaseros, Mendoza, Argentina). Rev. Fac. Cienc. Agrar., Univ. Nac. Cuyo [online]. 2023, vol.55, n.2, pp.46-60. ISSN 1853-8665.

Plant communities fragmented by agricultural activities were analyzed in a 250-ha area in eastern plains of Montecaseros, Gral. San Martín Department, Mendoza, Argentina. A phytosociological method assessed different sites along a gradient of human intervention, from natural environments with no evidence of altered native vegetation to maximum farming modification, also including cleared and abandoned fields. Soil analyses supplemented the characterization of six plant communities. A scrubland physiognomy dominates the area, with species of the genera Larrea, Atriplex and Lycium. Tillage and crop abandonment can alter natural factors involved in soil formation, causing deterioration and exerting selective pressure on species colonizing these degraded environments. Evaluating natural vegetation before land clearing for agriculture is essential to assess, through species that indicate environmental conditions, edaphic limitations hindering crop establishment and affecting productivity. The conservation of natural communities on private lands destined for agriculture is valued.

Keywords : Plant communities; Abandoned crops; Dynamism; Habitat fragmentation; Soil degradation.

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