| Sclerophyllous shrubs and forests are predominant in semiarid Central Chile and have a long history of degradation by fire, cultivation, firewood extraction and grazing. The aim of this study was to compare the amount and environmental drivers of soil respiration across a disturbance gradient in sclerophyllous ecosystems in the National Reserve Roblería del Cobre de Loncha in Central Chile. In a north-facing toe slope, four disturbance conditions were identified: slightly (D1) and moderately disturbed (D2) sclerophyllous forest, (D3) strongly disturbed thorn scrub and (D4) most disturbed A. caven savanna. Twelve 25×25-m plots (625 m²) were distributed equally across D1, D2, D3 and D4. Soil respiration (Rs), soil temperature (Ts), volumetric water content... |
