Relations Between Vegetation Structure and Slope Aspect in the Mediterranean Region of Chile

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Abstract
The vegetation structure on 4 slopes of different aspect (north, west, east and south) in the mediterranean zone of Chile was analyzed. The evergreen and summer-deciduous life-forms are predominant. The south-, east- and west-facing slopes are closely similar in terms of floristic composition, and on these slopes the numbers of species of evergreens and the plant dimensions are greater than on the north-facing slope. Only the latter shows a high cover of summer-deciduous species. The 4 slopes may fall on a non-linear moisture gradient, with the north-facing slope at the xeric end. A certain number of hygrophilous species restricted to the south-facing slope are interpreted as relicts of the southern rain forest expansion which occurred during the Pleistocene. The vegetation of the west- and east-facing slopes is most similar to the Chilean matorral. The north-facing slope contains a component of xeromorphic species which may have invaded from the north. Intensive wood-cutting and/or cattle-grazing of evergreen species in central Chile may have contributed to the high cover of xeromorphic plants.