BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS IN WOODLANDS IN THE MONTE DESERT

CAMPOS VALERIA; BALMACEDA PATRICIA; GIANNONI STELLA M

Mendoza

Encuentro; XXXI Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2013

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo-UNCuyo

In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, woody plants produce changes in microclimate and soil properties. Ramorinoa girolae is a woody species, endemic of western Argentina and its morphology characteristics make it able to maintain different biological interactions. In this work we evaluate the diversity of plants under its canopy and inter-canopy microhabitats, and fit models to assess if the diversity is explain by different morphology characteristics of the individuals. We recorded presence-absence data for plant species under canopy and inter-canopy for 29 individuals of R. girolae in the Ischigualasto Provincial Park, San Juan province, Argentina. Therefore for each individual we measured: area of canopy, density of branches, maximum high, percentage of shrubs and herbs under its canopy. The diversity index was higher under canopy (14.43) than inter-canopy (13.58), but there was not a significant difference (W=10.00; p=0.99).