Dendroecological analysis of the remote endemic Nothomyrcia fernandeziana forests of Robinson Crusoe Island in the Southeast Pacific

Juan Fernandez Archipelago National Park is located in the Southeast Pacific Ocean similar to 670 km off the coast of Chile. Composed by three islands, encompasses an ecosystem with 208 native plant species of which 64% are endemic. Robinson Crusoe Island (RCI) is the largest and the only with a permanent human population. Among the tree species of RCI, Nothomyrcia fernandeziana is the most abundant and dominant forming part of this fragile forest ecosystem. Despite this, there is very little information regarding its autoecology and conservation. Therefore, the objective of this work was to determine the radial growth patterns of N. fernandeziana and its longevity using dendrochronological methods. For this purpose, cross sections of trees blown down by wind were collected in conjunction with park rangers from five different sites and analyzed using tree-ring methods. Our results confirm that N. fernandeziana is a shade-tolerant species capable of maintaining extremely low initial growth rates under the canopy for several decades. Individual growth series were found to respond rapidly to changes in environmental conditions, revealed by abrupt positive and negative changes in their annual growth. Our data indicate a longevity of up to 450 years, with one N. fernandeziana individual established in the mid XVII century before the arrival of humans to the pristine island ecosystem. The results of this study are essential to strengthen RCI conservation plans considering restoration actions based on the autoecology of this rare endemic tree species, and the control of exotic invasive species that presently threatens the RCI forests ecosystems.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the radial growth patterns and longevity of the endemic tree species Nothomyrcia fernandeziana in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago National Park in Chile. The results show that N. fernandeziana is a shade-tolerant species capable of responding rapidly to changes in environmental conditions. The study also reveals the longevity of up to 450 years for this tree species.