Abstract
Underground hydrocarbon pipelines represent a growing source of disturbance in arid and cold ecosystems of southern South America, yet their long-term ecological impacts remain poorly understood. We evaluated the effects of pipeline construction on vegetation and soil in Festuca gracillima (coironal) grasslands of the Magellanic steppe, Chile. Fourteen pipelines of varying ages (3–14 years) were surveyed using 442 vegetation plots (221 along the pipeline corridor, 221 in reference areas), combined with soil sampling (0–15 cm) for physical and chemical analyses.
Vegetation was strongly affected. Species richness declined significantly in the pipeline corridor (19.6 ± 9.9 vs. 31.0 ± 9.6 species), as did total cover (36.2 ± 19.6% vs. 74.0 ± 6.0%), while bare soil increased markedly. Shannon diversity was slightly higher in disturbed sites (H' = 2.06 ± 0.37 vs. 1.75 ± 0.45), reflecting the proliferation of ruderal and introduced species. SIMPER analysis showed that the decline of native dominants such as Festuca gracillima and Empetrum rubrum, together with the expansion of Poa pratensis, Rumex acetosella, and Taraxacum officinale, explained more than 50% of community dissimilarity. The invasive Hieracium pilosella was unexpectedly more abundant in reference areas, suggesting a preference for intermediate disturbance regimes.
Soil responses were more subtle but not negligible. Most physical properties (bulk density, porosity, water holding capacity) showed no consistent differences between treatments. However, several chemical parameters were significantly altered in disturbed soils, including increases in total nitrogen, available phosphorus, manganese, calcium, magnesium, and nitrate, and a decrease in exchangeable aluminum and clay content, although most changes faded out at short term. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed clear floristic segregation along gradients of bare soil, sand content, organic matter, and pH, indicating that soil properties, although moderately affected, shape successional trajectories.
Overall, our results demonstrate that underground pipelines cause long-lasting changes in vegetation structure and composition, even when soil alterations appear modest or transient. Natural regeneration progresses slowly, leading to simplified communities dominated by opportunistic species with protective but low functional value. These findings highlight the need to critically evaluate restoration strategies based on agronomic sowing, and to consider assisted natural regeneration as a more sustainable option for conserving biodiversity, ecosystem function, and soil carbon stocks in arid grasslands.
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