Exotic and native species used by traditional populations of the Patagonian steppe: an approach based on redundancy and versatility

ROSA SANTORO, FLAVIA; ARIAS TOLEDO, BÁRBARA; RICHIERI, MARINA; LADIO, ANA

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2023

1442-9985

The utilitarian redundancy model has been used to indirectly verify the resilience of15 socioecological systems and the use pressure of botanical species known by local16 populations. From the bases of this model and the hypothesis of diversification, we can17 think that exotic species can enter socio-ecological systems to fill gaps and reduce the use18 pressure on native species. In this study, we want to draw a picture of the redundancy of19 plant species used by three traditional populations of the Patagonian steppe for medicinal,20 fuel, and edible purposes. From this portrait, we aim to infer the resilience of the local21 socio-ecological system and the use pressure of native and exotic species. We22 hypothesized that exotic species concentrate the greatest use pressure, being present in23 non or poor redundant use categories and being more versatile than native species. Our24 results show that, according to utilitarian redundancy, the socio-ecological systems of the25 three communities are equally resilient and have species redundancy similar to26 communities in other regions. We also verified that, contrary to what we expected, the27 native species concentrate the greatest use pressure, being the main maintainers of the28 socioecological systems of the Patagonian steppe. Our results can be used to indicate the29 priority Patagonian steppe botanical species for conservation.