Long- term monitoring for studding vegetation dynamics in a context of climate and land use change

CARILLA, JULIETA; HALLOY, STEPHAN; CUELLO, SOLEDAD; GRAU, ALFREDO; MALIZIA, AGUSTINA; CUESTA, FRANCISCO

Mendoza

Workshop; Newton Fund Workshop ?Plant dynamics and Climate Change in the Andes?.; 2018

IANIGLA, CONICET

My research is focused on ecology of high mountain ecosystems and mountain forest dynamics, combining tools that encompass different spatial and temporal scales, such as permanent plots (Carilla & Grau 2011, Baez et al. 2015, Cuesta et al. 2016; Carilla et al. in review in Ecology & Evolution), satellite image analysis (Carilla et al. 2013) and dendrochronology (Carilla & Grau 2010; Morales et al. 2015) to understand vegetation response to climate change and to human impact. Currently, I am working on a project related to biodiversity monitoring of wetlands along the puna ecoregion, particularly focused on plant species monitoring, with 50 wetlands surveyed. Since 2006, I am participating in long-term monitoring networks of vegetation such as GLORIA initiative (www.gloria.ac.at/) and the Andean Forest Network (www.redbosques.condesan.org/), promoting collaborative projects with other Andean institutions. Based on my experience, the main contribution to the Newton fund workshop will be related mainly to item c: climate change driven shifts in distribution ranges; I am responsible of two GLORIA sites in NW Argentina; one of them, Cumbres Calchaquíes, has already three surveys, with c. 150 plant species distributed over four summits (10 years of monitoring; Carilla et al. in review in Ecology & Evolution). Our aim is to create a long term high mountain observatory, for monitoring biodiversity, climate, human impact (recreation, grazing), etc. We are also updating a regional data base of Andean GLORIA sites for a regional publication comparing vegetation growth forms in relation to latitudinal and elevational gradients (including six countries, 18 sites, 70 summits). Secondly, my contribution would be related to item b: monitoring biodiversity and forest dynamic; our institute manages a great data base of 18 ha of primary and secondary mountain forest permanent plots, with 25 years of monitoring the oldest ones.