Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling

Autores
Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián; Peri, Pablo Luis; Lizárraga, Roberto Leónidas; Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Accurate land cover modelling is crucial for ecosystem management. Understanding the relationships between topographic and climatic gradients and the spatial distribution of different ecosystems is needed to develop accurate conservation and sustainable land-use strategies. This is especially important where different ecosystems are intermixed in the landscape, e.g., in Tierra del Fuego (southern Patagonia), where Nothofagus forests, peatlands, shrublands, and grasslands generate complex landscapes that are sensitive to environmental changes. Therefore, using a newly generated high-resolution (10 m) Sentinel-2 derived land cover map for Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and Isla de los Estados, this study aimed to quantify the relationship among topo-climatic drivers, intrinsic forest structural descriptors, and spatial patterns of major land cover types. Sentinel-2 imagery (2021–2024) obtained during summer periods was classified into 13 classes using a hierarchical supervised method in QGIS. The resulting map was validated using over 5,991 independent observations, and environmental associations were analysed using Generalised Linear Model and Principal Component Analysis. The map achieved an overall accuracy of 86.3%. Significant environmental segregations were found, where different Nothofagus forest types occupied distinct environmental spaces and exhibited divergent structural traits: (i) N. antarctica, associated with warmer/drier lowlands, (ii) N. betuloides, associated with steeper slopes and higher mean annual precipitation values, and (iii) N. pumilio, dominated by colder high elevation lands. Topography strongly influences the occurrence of forestlands compared to open lands. For example, N. pumilio and N. betuloides forests mainly grow at higher elevations compared to grasslands, shrublands, and peatlands, which occur at lower and flatter terrain. Climate also shapes distinct environmental conditions, especially in the hygrophilous communities. This high-resolution map and associated environmental analyses provide a new baseline for understanding ecosystem distribution in Tierra del Fuego, allowing for the development of more efficient conservation planning, resource management, and monitoring strategies.
EEA Santa Cruz
Fil: Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC). Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA); Argentina
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.
Fil: Lizárraga, Leonidas. Administración De Parques Nacionales. Dirección Regional Noroeste. Salta; Argentina.
Fil: Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC). Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales; Argentina.
Fuente
Polar Biology 49 : article number 100. (August 2026)
Materia
Ecosistema
Topografía
Clima
Biodiversidad
Medio Ambiente
Tierra del Fuego
Ecosystems
Topography
Climate
Nothofagus
Biodiversity
Environment
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso restringido
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
oai:localhost:20.500.12123/27494
Acceder
id INTADig_338f7117866c35933a60706b44fe920e
oai_identifier_str oai:localhost:20.500.12123/27494
network_acronym_str INTADig
repository_id_str l
network_name_str INTA Digital (INTA)
spelling Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modellingRodríguez‑Souilla, JuliánPeri, Pablo LuisLizárraga, Roberto LeónidasMartínez Pastur, Guillermo JoséEcosistemaTopografíaClimaBiodiversidadMedio AmbienteTierra del FuegoEcosystemsTopographyClimateNothofagusBiodiversityEnvironmentAccurate land cover modelling is crucial for ecosystem management. Understanding the relationships between topographic and climatic gradients and the spatial distribution of different ecosystems is needed to develop accurate conservation and sustainable land-use strategies. This is especially important where different ecosystems are intermixed in the landscape, e.g., in Tierra del Fuego (southern Patagonia), where Nothofagus forests, peatlands, shrublands, and grasslands generate complex landscapes that are sensitive to environmental changes. Therefore, using a newly generated high-resolution (10 m) Sentinel-2 derived land cover map for Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and Isla de los Estados, this study aimed to quantify the relationship among topo-climatic drivers, intrinsic forest structural descriptors, and spatial patterns of major land cover types. Sentinel-2 imagery (2021–2024) obtained during summer periods was classified into 13 classes using a hierarchical supervised method in QGIS. The resulting map was validated using over 5,991 independent observations, and environmental associations were analysed using Generalised Linear Model and Principal Component Analysis. The map achieved an overall accuracy of 86.3%. Significant environmental segregations were found, where different Nothofagus forest types occupied distinct environmental spaces and exhibited divergent structural traits: (i) N. antarctica, associated with warmer/drier lowlands, (ii) N. betuloides, associated with steeper slopes and higher mean annual precipitation values, and (iii) N. pumilio, dominated by colder high elevation lands. Topography strongly influences the occurrence of forestlands compared to open lands. For example, N. pumilio and N. betuloides forests mainly grow at higher elevations compared to grasslands, shrublands, and peatlands, which occur at lower and flatter terrain. Climate also shapes distinct environmental conditions, especially in the hygrophilous communities. This high-resolution map and associated environmental analyses provide a new baseline for understanding ecosystem distribution in Tierra del Fuego, allowing for the development of more efficient conservation planning, resource management, and monitoring strategies.EEA Santa CruzFil: Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC). Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA); ArgentinaFil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Lizárraga, Leonidas. Administración De Parques Nacionales. Dirección Regional Noroeste. Salta; Argentina.Fil: Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC). Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales; Argentina.Springer2026-08-21T11:50:35Z2026-08-21T11:50:35Z2026-08info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/27494https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-026-03540-80722-40601432-2056https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-026-03540-8Polar Biology 49 : article number 100. (August 2026)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología AgropecuariaengAntártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur, Territorio Nacional de la Tierra del Fuego .......... (province) (World, South America, Argentina1002002info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)2026-09-24T11:43:43Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/27494instacron:INTAInstitucionalhttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/oai/requesttripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:l2026-09-24 11:43:44.448INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
title Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
spellingShingle Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián
Ecosistema
Topografía
Clima
Biodiversidad
Medio Ambiente
Tierra del Fuego
Ecosystems
Topography
Climate
Nothofagus
Biodiversity
Environment
title_short Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
title_full Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
title_fullStr Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
title_full_unstemmed Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
title_sort Topography and climate shape ecosystem distribution across Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: insights from high-resolution modelling
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián
Peri, Pablo Luis
Lizárraga, Roberto Leónidas
Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
author Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián
author_facet Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián
Peri, Pablo Luis
Lizárraga, Roberto Leónidas
Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
author_role author
author2 Peri, Pablo Luis
Lizárraga, Roberto Leónidas
Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Ecosistema
Topografía
Clima
Biodiversidad
Medio Ambiente
Tierra del Fuego
Ecosystems
Topography
Climate
Nothofagus
Biodiversity
Environment
topic Ecosistema
Topografía
Clima
Biodiversidad
Medio Ambiente
Tierra del Fuego
Ecosystems
Topography
Climate
Nothofagus
Biodiversity
Environment
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Accurate land cover modelling is crucial for ecosystem management. Understanding the relationships between topographic and climatic gradients and the spatial distribution of different ecosystems is needed to develop accurate conservation and sustainable land-use strategies. This is especially important where different ecosystems are intermixed in the landscape, e.g., in Tierra del Fuego (southern Patagonia), where Nothofagus forests, peatlands, shrublands, and grasslands generate complex landscapes that are sensitive to environmental changes. Therefore, using a newly generated high-resolution (10 m) Sentinel-2 derived land cover map for Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and Isla de los Estados, this study aimed to quantify the relationship among topo-climatic drivers, intrinsic forest structural descriptors, and spatial patterns of major land cover types. Sentinel-2 imagery (2021–2024) obtained during summer periods was classified into 13 classes using a hierarchical supervised method in QGIS. The resulting map was validated using over 5,991 independent observations, and environmental associations were analysed using Generalised Linear Model and Principal Component Analysis. The map achieved an overall accuracy of 86.3%. Significant environmental segregations were found, where different Nothofagus forest types occupied distinct environmental spaces and exhibited divergent structural traits: (i) N. antarctica, associated with warmer/drier lowlands, (ii) N. betuloides, associated with steeper slopes and higher mean annual precipitation values, and (iii) N. pumilio, dominated by colder high elevation lands. Topography strongly influences the occurrence of forestlands compared to open lands. For example, N. pumilio and N. betuloides forests mainly grow at higher elevations compared to grasslands, shrublands, and peatlands, which occur at lower and flatter terrain. Climate also shapes distinct environmental conditions, especially in the hygrophilous communities. This high-resolution map and associated environmental analyses provide a new baseline for understanding ecosystem distribution in Tierra del Fuego, allowing for the development of more efficient conservation planning, resource management, and monitoring strategies.
EEA Santa Cruz
Fil: Rodríguez‑Souilla, Julián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC). Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA); Argentina
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.
Fil: Lizárraga, Leonidas. Administración De Parques Nacionales. Dirección Regional Noroeste. Salta; Argentina.
Fil: Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC). Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales; Argentina.
description Accurate land cover modelling is crucial for ecosystem management. Understanding the relationships between topographic and climatic gradients and the spatial distribution of different ecosystems is needed to develop accurate conservation and sustainable land-use strategies. This is especially important where different ecosystems are intermixed in the landscape, e.g., in Tierra del Fuego (southern Patagonia), where Nothofagus forests, peatlands, shrublands, and grasslands generate complex landscapes that are sensitive to environmental changes. Therefore, using a newly generated high-resolution (10 m) Sentinel-2 derived land cover map for Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and Isla de los Estados, this study aimed to quantify the relationship among topo-climatic drivers, intrinsic forest structural descriptors, and spatial patterns of major land cover types. Sentinel-2 imagery (2021–2024) obtained during summer periods was classified into 13 classes using a hierarchical supervised method in QGIS. The resulting map was validated using over 5,991 independent observations, and environmental associations were analysed using Generalised Linear Model and Principal Component Analysis. The map achieved an overall accuracy of 86.3%. Significant environmental segregations were found, where different Nothofagus forest types occupied distinct environmental spaces and exhibited divergent structural traits: (i) N. antarctica, associated with warmer/drier lowlands, (ii) N. betuloides, associated with steeper slopes and higher mean annual precipitation values, and (iii) N. pumilio, dominated by colder high elevation lands. Topography strongly influences the occurrence of forestlands compared to open lands. For example, N. pumilio and N. betuloides forests mainly grow at higher elevations compared to grasslands, shrublands, and peatlands, which occur at lower and flatter terrain. Climate also shapes distinct environmental conditions, especially in the hygrophilous communities. This high-resolution map and associated environmental analyses provide a new baseline for understanding ecosystem distribution in Tierra del Fuego, allowing for the development of more efficient conservation planning, resource management, and monitoring strategies.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-08-21T11:50:35Z
2026-08-21T11:50:35Z
2026-08
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/27494
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-026-03540-8
0722-4060
1432-2056
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-026-03540-8
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/27494
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-026-03540-8
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-026-03540-8
identifier_str_mv 0722-4060
1432-2056
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv restrictedAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.coverage.none.fl_str_mv Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur, Territorio Nacional de la Tierra del Fuego .......... (province) (World, South America, Argentina
1002002
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Polar Biology 49 : article number 100. (August 2026)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
collection INTA Digital (INTA)
instname_str Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.name.fl_str_mv INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.mail.fl_str_mv tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar
_version_ 1877227354088013824
score 12.754232

Publicaciones similares