Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
for example, Bariloche, Argentina (41
06
0
S/71
10
0
W) receives only about 10% of
its annual 717 mm precipitation in the summer (Mu
ยจ
ller
1982
).
The cold Humboldt Current flowing northward along the Pacific coast of Chile
moderates coastal temperatures. Mean maximum summer temperatures in January
are typically 20-23
C along the central coast, while inland cities in the Central Valley
reach 27-30
C. Mean winter minimum temperatures in July reach below freezing
only in the high mountains and some of the steep river valleys below the Andes where
cold air drainage dominates, although snow occurs occasionally in Santiago.
Vegetation
Matorral shrublands (see
Fig. 1.6d
) form the characteristic evergreen sclerophyl-
lous shrublands of central Chile (Rundel
1981a
; Armesto
et al.
2007
). These
communities exhibit mixed dominance of many shrub species (
Table 6.1
), with
the most common including
Lithraea caustica
,
Kageneckia oblonga
,
Schinus poly-
gamus
,
Escallonia pulverulenta
,
Trevoa trinervis
and
Retanilla ephedra
. Also present
are a variety of semi-woody shrubs with semi-deciduous or deciduous leaves
(
Table 6.1
), which may dominate on more arid sites. These subshrubs include
genera such as
Baccharis
and
Satureja
, which are also found in California shrub-
lands (Parsons
1976
). In contrast to California chaparral, herb cover is relatively
abundant in mature matorral, often covering up to 40% or more of the ground
surface (Montenegro
et al.
1978
). Much of this herb cover is composed of herb-
aceous perennials, including a rich flora of geophytes. Dry equator-facing slopes
in the matorral exhibit a different vegetation structure, with open stands of the
arborescent cactus
Echinopsis chilensis
and
Puya
species, with
L. caustica
and
Colliguaya odorifera
as associated shrubs. Coastal sites are often dominated by a
smaller-stature scrub vegetation with species of
Puya
well represented (
Fig. 6.2
).
Fig. 6.2
Coastal scrub with flowering stalks of
Puya
in central Chile. (Photo by Jon Keeley.)
