Environmental and biological factors affecting the abundance of Prosopis flexuosa saplings in the central-west Monte of Argentina

Abstract

Background: Trees and forests in drylands help mitigate the challenges through provision of economic products and vital environmental services such as habitat for biodiversity, prevention of erosion and desertification, regulation of water, microclimate, and soil fertility. The condition and changes in dry forests can be assessed by using ecological indicators able to quantify spatial and temporal changes in vegetation. One of the ways to determine the condition of the forest is to study the dominant tree species and its regeneration. Our study aimed to assess whether the abundance of Prosopis flexuosa saplings is affected by environmental and biological factors. Results: To evaluate the first variables we used data from remote sensing such as satellite images and Aster Global Digital Model (GDEM). The second set of variables was about exotic and native ungulates and we used feces of these animals and camera traps to take data. We found that sapling abundance related positively to sandy substrates and negatively to Wetness Index. On the other hand, in relation to biological variables, the abundance of saplings was positively affected by density of adult trees and by number of seeds dispersed by equines, but space use by Lama guanicoe had a negative relationship with saplings. This research shows that P. flexuosa saplings are benefited from sandy substrates and the conditions around adult trees. In addition to this, we found that exotic ungulates in low densities have neutral (i.e. cattle) or positive (i.e. equines) effects on sapling abundance. Conclusions: Based on these findings, we conclude that regeneration of the population of P. flexuosa in our study area has no major problems. In addition, we corroborated that the presence of exotic and domestic ungulates in low densities does not have deleterious consequences for saplings of the dominant tree, P. flexuosa.