Exploring the vegetation of the coastal road in Puerto Cisnes, southern Chile: a vascular plant inventory

Abstract Background In areas of low disturbance, such as the Aysén Region of Chile, the presence of roads can inadvertently facilitate the spread of invasive species. To address this issue, it is imperative to maintain up-to-date biological inventories, as they serve as a primary source of information for the conservation of species and ecosystems. However, the maintenance of systematic inventories of vascular plants in Chile is virtually non-existent, especially outside protected wilderness areas. The data we have come from an inventory of vascular plant species along a stretch of coastal road in Puerto Cisnes (Aysén Region), characterised by a cut slope in the rock. The site is located between mountain ranges, in a region known for its protected wilderness areas and low levels of anthropogenic alteration. The study adopted an observational sampling design, using the road as a transect. For each species identified, the growth substrate, habit and dispersal mode were recorded. A total of 70 species (36 herbs, 23 shrubs and 11 trees) belonging to 42 families were found. The most represented families were Hymenophyllaceae (nine species) and Myrtaceae (four species). We recorded nine introduced species belonging to seven botanical families (Cirsiumvulgare (Savi) Ten., Crocosmiacrocosmiiflora (Lemoine ex Burb. & Dean) N.E.Br., Cytisusscoparius (L.) Link, Digitalispurpurea L., Lotuspedunculatus Cav., Plantagolanceolata L., Polygonumcampanulatum Hook. f., Prunellavulgaris L., Rubusconstrictus Lefèvre & P.J.Müll). Of these nine species, seven are invasive, while the remaining two species have not been assessed for invasive potential (i.e. Crocosmiacrocosmiiflora and Polygonumcampanulatum). In particular, Crocosmiacrocosmiiflora and Rubusconstrictus are new regional records. The majority of species were found growing on the ground (44 species), while a significant proportion were found exclusively on rocky slopes (17 species). According to their seed dispersal mechanism, the most common syndromes were anemochory (32 species) and ornithochory (20 species). Other mechanisms such as mammalochory, ballochory or myrmecochory were less common (less than four species). New information This study provides valuable data on the vascular flora of Puerto Cisnes, Chile, a modest human settlement in a minimally altered landscape. The region, dominated by native forests and a burgeoning salmon farming industry, has few inventories, so the database presented here adds significantly to local botanical knowledge. The main novelty of this research is that it is the first inventory carried out on a road in a slightly altered area surrounded by protected wilderness areas (such as Magdalena Island National Park and Queulat National Park). The study systematically categorises species according to substrate, habitat and dispersal mode, dimensions that are rarely combined in a single database. The inventory identifies 70 species (36 herbs, 23 shrubs and 11 trees) in 42 families. The most represented families were Hymenophyllaceae (with nine species) and Myrtaceae (with four species). Additionally, we recorded, two introduced species (Crocosmiacrocosmiiflora and Rubusconstrictus) at least 100 km south of their known distribution.


Introduction
Inventories are indispensable for understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of species. Such baseline information can serve multiple purposes, such as the generation of species distribution models (Weigelt et al. 2019), ecosystem restoration (Rai 2022) and the management and control of invasive exotic species (Fuentes et al. 2010). In Chile, as in many other Latin American countries, species monitoring is virtually non-existent (Möller and Muñóz-Pedreros 2014, Fuentes et al. 2010, Moussy et al. 2021, leaving little information to track the movement of species or their populations within a region. Certain groups, such as invasive plants, can significantly impact ecosystems, nutrient cycling, water production and fire regimes (Weidlich et al. 2020). These species colonise open areas, such as roadsides or railway lines (Deeley and Petrovskaya 2022), but systematic monitoring of these types of sites is lacking (Weigelt et al. 2019).
Inventories conducted on roads facilitate the study of species movements and their dispersal to other sites, enabling the prevention and management of potential biological invasions (e.g. Pauchard and Alaback 2004, Fuentes et al. 2013, Deeley and Petrovskaya 2022. Inventories are, therefore, needed to identify which new species are establishing in a given area and to act as an early warning system to prevent potential impacts. The identification and control of invasive species can contribute to the 14 and 15 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations 2015) and, in particular, to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (CBD 2021).
The Aysén Region of Chile has a limited number of inventories (e.g. Tomé et al. (2007), Teillier and Marticorena (2002), Quintanilla et al. (2008), Rodríguez et al. (2008), Promis et al. (2013), Sánchez-Jardón et al. (2013), Ramírez et al. (2014); therefore, the database presented in this work contributes to the local understanding of the flora. The main novelty of this study is that it is the first inventory carried out on a road in a slightly modified area surrounded by protected wilderness areas (i.e. Magdalena Island National Park and Queulat National Park). The study includes the systematic categorisation of species based on substrate, habitat and dispersal mode, aspects rarely reported in a single database (but see Pincheira-Ulbrich et al. (2021) (Table 1, Suppl. material 1). We recorded nine introduced species belonging to seven botanical families. Of these nine species, seven are invasive (Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link, Digitalis purpurea L., Lotus pedunculatus Cav., Plantago lanceolata L., Prunella vulgaris L., Rubus constrictus P.J. Müll. & Lefèvre), while the remaining two species (i.e. Crocosmia crocosmiiflora and Polygonum campanulatum) have not been assessed for invasive potential (Fuentes et al. 2013, Fuentes et al. 2020. The most represented families were Hymenophyllaceae (nine species, Fig. 4) and Myrtaceae (four species, e.g. Fig. 7a, e). Two new records of introduced species (Crocosmia crocosmiiflora and Rubus constrictus, Fig. 3) were recorded at least 100 km south of their known distribution (Fuentes et al. 2013, Rodriguez et al. 2018, Fuentes et al. 2020).

Project description
Study area description: Puerto Cisnes is a small coastal town in the Aysén Region of Chile (44°43'46.33"S, 72°40'51.85"W). It is located in a small bay of the Puyuhuapi Channel, adjacent to the mouth of the Cisnes River ( Fig. 1), opposite the Magdalena Island National Park and a few kilometres from the Queulat National Park. The landscape is diverse and includes native forests, channels and mountain ranges. The town has a population of about 7,000 and the salmon industry is the main economic activity, with tourism a secondary activity.  Armesto and Rozzi (1989), Wilson et al. (1996) and Salvande et al. (2011). Geographical origin: native, endemic and introduced according to Rodriguez et al. (2018). *: Invasive species according to Fuentes et al. (2013) and Fuentes et al. (2020)   Design description: Data collection took place between 24 and 26 February 2017. Sampling followed an observational protocol using the road as a transect with a continuous walk-through approach being employed (Brower et al. 1997). An inventory of species occurrences was conducted along a transect of approximately 2.45 km, covering both sides of the road and the rock face forming the fjord escarpment. In the near-vertical cut areas adjacent to the road, species growing within the first few metres, easily accessible from the road, were recorded. Whilst safety constraints prevented direct sampling from higher areas, an attempt was made to identify all species visible from the base of the cut. a b c d e f Each species was recorded at the time of first detection, regardless of subsequent occurrences within the transect. The primary aim of this strategy was to capture the broadest possible diversity of species within the constraints of the study area (Diekmann et al. 2007). The width of the transect was dictated by the physical constraints of the site, namely the road and the adjacent rock face (Diekmann et al. 2007, Speak et al. 2018). On the beach, the average transect width was 10 m. a b c d e f The data were organised according to four sampling locations: Transect 1, corresponding to a small transect in the north; Transect 2, corresponding to most of the road; Isolated Rock, corresponding to a point in the middle of Transect 2; and Transect 3, corresponding to the beach in the south (Fig. 2). The urban area was excluded from the study. After data collection, the information was formatted according to the Darwin Core Standard for Biodiversity Data (https://dwc.tdwg.org/). The refinement of this criterion by Groom et al. providing a more detailed representation of the native status, establishment level and site occupancy means of the organism.

Sampling methods
Sampling description: Field notes, photographs and some difficult-to-identify specimens taken along the transects were examined in the laboratory. Three types of data were described: (i) taxonomic identity, according to Marticorena and Rodríguez (Marticorena and Rodríguez 1995, Marticorena and Rodríguez 2001, Marticorena and Rodríguez 2003, Marticorena and Rodríguez 2005, Marticorena and Rodríguez 2011, (ii) microhabitat a b c d e f Figure 6.

class
The full scientific name of the class in which the taxon is classified. order The full scientific name of the order in which the taxon is classified. family The full scientific name of the family in which the taxon is classified.
habitat Habitat type where species was observed (i.e. Road in an evergreen forest, Beach path).
locationRemarks Comments or notes about the location (i.e. Growing on rock, growth in the soil, tree bark or a combination of these). country The name of the country where the organism was found.
municipality Village around which sampling was carried out. stateProvince The administrative region where sampling took place.
eventRemarks Name of the street where the transect was located.
locality The specific mention of the sampling unit in which the organism was found (Transects 1, 2, 3 or isolated rock).
samplingProtocol Name of the protocol used during sampling. decimalLatitude The latitude of the centre of each locality. decimalLongitude The longitude of the centre of each locality.
dynamicProperties A list of additional measurements for the record. Seed dispersal syndrome, Growth form, Habit.
establishmentMeans Statement about whether a organism has been introduced to a given place and time through the direct or indirect activity of modern humans (i.e. native, introduced).

degreeOfEstablishment
The degree to which a organism survives, reproduces and expands its range at the given place and time (i.e. native, invasive, casual, established). geodeticDatum The geographic coordinates given in decimal latitude and decimal longitude are based on a specific ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS) (i.e. WGS84).
coordinateUncertaintyInMetres Measurement uncertainty in metres.

eventDate
The date when the organism was registered.
recordedBy Name of the observer.
recordedByID Unique identifier of the species identifier in ORCID.