Temperate Subantarctic Forests: A Huge Natural Laboratory

The Andean-Patagonian forests are the southernmost temperate forests in the world spreading over a thin strip at both sides of the Andes Mountains. This chapter introduces to a section of the book devoted to different species of these forests. Generalities and particularities of the Andean-Patagonian forests such as disturbs, endemisms, and drastic environmental gradients are described. The distribution patterns of forest tree species are determined by latitudinal, longitudinal, and altitudinal gradients, creating ideal models for studying processes of adaptation. Social aspects cannot be neglected; the value of conserving forest genetic resources of a highly touristic region, the overexploitation in the past, and the pressure of real estate speculation for the change of forestland use are issues that oppose each other. In addition, the claim of rights of “pueblos originarios” over natural forests gave origin to the co-management in the Lanin National Park. General concepts about the main tree species of the Andean-Patagonian forests of Argentina are presented: shared patterns in the distribution of the genetic variation, modeling of the genetic patterns by glaciations, volcanism, and wind, general state of knowledge about their genetic diversity at neutral markers, and adaptive traits. We concluded with describing the species chosen for breeding and postfire restauration initiatives.