Pilgerodendron uviferum (D. Don) Florin is an endemic, threatened conifer that grows in South America. In the sub-Antarctic territory, one of the most isolated places in the world, some forest patches remain untouched since the last glaciation. In this study, we analyze the tree structure and tree diversity and characterize the environmental conditions where P. uviferum-dominated stands develop within the Magellanic islands in Kawésqar National Park, Chile. An environmental matrix using the databases WorldClim and SoilGrids and local topography variables was used to identify the main environmental variables that explain the P. uviferum-dominated stands. PCA was used to reduce the environmental variables, and PERMANOVA and nMDS were used to evaluate differences among forest communities. The results show that two forest communities are present within the Magellanic islands. Both forest communities share the fact that they can persist over time due to the high water table that limits the competitive effect from other tree species less tolerant to high soil water table and organic matter. Our results contribute to knowledge of the species’ environmental preference and design conservation programs.

中文翻译：

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高纬度受威胁针叶林的结构、多样性和环境决定因素

Pilgerodendron uviferum (D. Don) Florin 是一种生长在南美洲的地方性、受威胁的针叶树。在亚南极地区，世界上最偏远的地区之一，自上次冰川作用以来，一些森林斑块仍未受到影响。在这项研究中，我们分析了树木结构和树木多样性，并描述了智利 Kawésqar 国家公园麦哲伦群岛内以P. uviferum为主的林分发展的环境条件。使用数据库 WorldClim 和 SoilGrids 以及当地地形变量的环境矩阵被用来识别解释P. uviferum的主要环境变量- 占主导地位的立场。PCA用于减少环境变量，PERMANOVA和nMDS用于评估森林群落之间的差异。结果表明，麦哲伦群岛内存在两个森林群落。两个森林社区都有一个共同的事实，即它们可以长期存在，因为高地下水位限制了其他树种对高土壤地下水位和有机质耐受性较差的竞争效应。我们的结果有助于了解该物种的环境偏好和设计保护计划。