Abstract

GUERRERO, E.L.. The Caldenal thorny forests ingressions and islands inside the Austral Pampean grasslands. Polibotánica [online]. 2022, n.53, pp.56-67.  Epub Apr 04, 2022. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.53.4.

Abstract: The southern sector of Espinal is made up of Prosopis caldenia forests, an endemic species of this sector that is commonly known as Caldén. The forests of this species, or Caldenales, contact the Pampean grasslands to the east, but the boundary between these two units varies according to the maps of different authors. The southern sector of this confusing boundary was studied, where small patches of woody vegetation are interspersed in a grassland matrix. It was evaluated whether those patches immersed in the Pampas should be mapped as part of the Caldenal. With that aim, the corresponding bibliography was compiled, herbarium materials, databases, cartography were examined, and field trips were made. The vegetation in a site placed in Sierra de la Ventana was studied in detail. The thorny vegetation patches of the southwest of Buenos Aires are made up of a subset of the Caldenal forests and scrublands plants. Therefore, it is proposed that these associations should be classified within the Caldenal. The importance of identifying, classifying, and mapping these vegetation islands surpasses the academic or research interest and may be useful to the Argentinean biodiversity conservation national laws.

Keywords : Caldenal; Pampa; Sierra de la Ventana; phytogeography; area of endemism; biodiversity conservation.

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