Ecological restoration principes relative to Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp. & Endl.) Krasser (Nothofagaceae) forest restoration

Resumen

r Leaf surfaces are arranged in forested ecosystems so that solar radiation is effectively captured. In other words, the potential for photosynthesis is maximized as a function of plant community structure. In Nothofagus pumilio forest, tree crowns are densely branched and contain abundant, closely placed, small leaves that flutter on stout, subsessile petioles (Marticorena & Rodríguez, 2003) in windy realms of Tierra del Fuego, Chile. If sunlight escapes a leaf that was momentarily twisted on edge by the wind, that radiation is likely to be absorbed by another leaf that lies immediately below it. Light that escapes the tree canopy altogether may be captured by undergrowth plants, ephiphytes, or even corticolous bryophytes.