Acumulación De Restos Lignino-Celulósicos (Necromasa) En Un Bosque Templado De Antiguo Crecimiento Dominado Por Nothofagus En El Centro- Sur De Chile

Coarse woody debris (CWD) are the necromass in wooded environments and comply with various ecosystems functions, such as seedling nursery, habitat other organisms, store carbon (C) and nutrients, etc.. Volume, necromass, and decay states of CWD dead in an old-growth temperate (OGTF) forest in Puyehue National Park, South-Central Chile were evaluated. In 10 plots of 900 m2 CWD was quantified (≥ 10 cm diameter), whose necromass classified using a scale of five categories/stages of decay, necromass (1 = lowest and 5 = highest degradation). The average forest density was 299 trees ha-1, 112 m2 ha-1 of basal area, and 2.395 m3 of stem volume. The upper arboreal stratum was dominated by N. betuloides. The greatest amount of CWD belonged to N. betuloides (95,2%), where logs (52,7%) and branches (35%), plant structures were present in greater numbers. The bulk of necromass found in advanced states of decomposition (level 4 and 5) with 56,5% and 34,1%, respectively. It was determined that the CWD volume was 632 m3 ha-1, representing a necromass of 321.5 Mg ha- 1. These results demonstrate that the old-growth temperate forests of southern Chile are significant reserves of coarse woody debris, which contributes to the biogeochemistry of these complex and remote ecosystems

Contenidos De Celulosa Y Lignina En Restos Lignino- Celulósicos De Gran Tamaño (Necromasa) En Un Bosque Templado De Antiguo Crecimiento Del Centro-Sur de Chile

The evaluation of volume, necromass, states of decay, solubility, and cellulose and lignin content in coarse woody debris (RLC) accumulated in an evergreen temperate forest of old-growth in the Puyehue National Park, South-Central Chile. Ten plots of 900 m2 each, were quantified for RLC (≥ 10 cm diameter). For necromass quantification was used a scale of five categories/states of decay, necromass (1 = lowest and 5 = highest degradation). 632 m3 ha-1 of deadwood (= 231,5 Mg ha-1 of necromass) was found, mainly represented by Nothofagus betuloides (95,2%). The wood with the most advanced state of decay (state 5) showed a greater solubility, increasing of 273,7 and 818,6 times more soluble than 1, for N. betuloides and S. conspicua, respectively. Cellulose content decreased to 91%, while the lignin increased 248% and 142% in wood decay of N. betuloides and S. conspicua, respectively. These results demonstrate the importance of RLC in the biogeochemistry of remote forest ecosystems of old-growth in Southern Chile