![Nothofagus range including New Caledonia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Nothofagus_range_including_New_Caledonia.jpg)
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s and
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
, and
New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
). The species are ecological dominants in many temperate forests in these regions. Some species are reportedly naturalised in Germany and Great Britain.
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
/ref> The genus has a rich fossil record of leaves, cupule
A cupule is a small structure shaped like a cup, including:
* In archeology, rock cupules are circular man-made hollows on the surface of a large rock or a rock slab
** On a smaller artifact they are called a cupstone.
* In botany: the base of an ...
s, and pollen, with fossils extending into the late Cretaceous period and occurring in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and South America.
Description
The leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are toothed or entire, evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
or deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
. The fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is a small, flattened or triangular nut
Nut often refers to:
* Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds
* Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt
Nut or Nuts may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...
, borne in cupules containing one to seven nuts.
Reproduction
Many individual trees are extremely old, and at one time, some populations were thought to be unable to reproduce in present-day conditions where they were growing, except by sucker
Sucker may refer to:
General use
* Lollipop or sucker, a type of confection
* Sucker (slang), a slang term for a very gullible person
* Hard candy
** Cough drop
** Mint (candy)
Biology
* Sucker (botany), a term for a shoot that arises undergro ...
ing (clonal reproduction
Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, cl ...
), being remnant forest from a cooler time. Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete ( haploid reproductive cells, such as a sperm or egg cell) with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to produce a zygote tha ...
has since been shown to be possible.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Nothofagus'' was first formally described in 1850 by Carl Ludwig Blume
Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume (9 June 1796, Braunschweig – 3 February 1862, Leiden) was a German-Dutch botanist.
He was born at Braunschweig in Germany, but studied at Leiden University and spent his professional life wor ...
who published the description in his book ''Museum botanicum Lugduno-Batavum, sive, Stirpium exoticarum novarum vel minus cognitarum ex vivis aut siccis brevis expositio et descriptio''.
In the past, they were included in the family Fagaceae
The Fagaceae are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with about 927 species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species occur as evergre ...
, but genetic tests revealed them to be genetically distinct,[ and they are now included in their own family, Nothofagaceae.]
Species list
The following is a list of species, hybrids and varieties accepted by the Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
as at April 2020:
*''Nothofagus aequilateralis
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
'' (Baum.-Bod.) Steenis (New Caledonia)
*''Nothofagus alessandri
''Nothofagus alessandrii'', the ruil, is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae, commonly known as the southern beeches. It is endemic to Chile, occurring chiefly in the Chilean matorral ecoregion. It is threatened by habitat loss. The s ...
'' Espinosa (Central Chile)
*''Nothofagus alpina
''Nothofagus alpina'', also called rauli or raulí beech (in Mapuche language) is a species of plant in the Nothofagaceae family. A deciduous tree, it grows in Chile and Argentina, it reaches 50 m (160 ft) height and more than 2 meters ...
'' (Poepp. & Endl.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South)
*''Nothofagus antarctica
''Nothofagus antarctica'' (''Antarctic beech''; in Spanish ''Ñire'' or ''Ñirre'') is a deciduous tree or shrub native to southern Chile and Argentina from about 36°S to Tierra del Fuego (56° S), where it grows mainly in the diminishing tempe ...
'' (G.Forst.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South)
*''Nothofagus balansae
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
'' (Baill.) Steenis (New Caledonia)
*''Nothofagus baumanniae
''Nothofagus baumanniae'' is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of ...
'' (Baum.-Bod.) Steenis (New Caledonia)
*''Nothofagus betuloides
''Nothofagus betuloides'', Magellan's beech or ''guindo'', is a tree native to southern Patagonia.
In 1769, Sir Joseph Banks collected a specimen of the tree in Tierra del Fuego during Captain Cook's first voyage.
Its occurrence on Hornos Isla ...
'' (Mirb.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile South)
*''Nothofagus brassii
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*'' Nothofagus carrii'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*'' Nothofagus cliffortioides'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South)
*'' Nothofagus codonandra'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Caledonia)
*'' Nothofagus crenata'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus cunninghamii
''Nothofagus cunninghamii,'' commonly known as myrtle beech or Tasmanian myrtle, is the dominant species of cool temperate rainforests in Tasmania and Southern Victoria. It has low fire resistance and grows best in partial shade conditions.
It ...
'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (Tasmania, Victoria)
*'' Nothofagus discoidea'' (Baum.-Bod.) Steenis (New Caledonia)
*''Nothofagus dombeyi
''Nothofagus dombeyi'', Dombey's beech, coigue, coihue or coigüe (from Mapuche language, Mapudungun ''koywe'') is a tree species native to southern Chile and the Andean parts of Argentine Patagonia. It is a fast-growing species that can live i ...
'' (Mirb.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South)
*'' Nothofagus flaviramea'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus fusca
''Nothofagus fusca'', commonly known as red beech (Māori: tawhai raunui) is a species of southern beech, endemic to New Zealand, where it occurs on both the North Island and South Island. Generally it is found on lower hills and inland valley ...
'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South)
*''Nothofagus glauca
''Nothofagus glauca'', commonly known as hualo or roble Maulino, is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae. It is a deciduous tree endemic to Chile. It grows from 34° to 37° South latitude. ''N. glauca'' was proposed to be renamed ''L ...
'' (Phil.) Krasser (Chile Central)
*'' Nothofagus grandis'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus gunnii
''Nothofagus gunnii'', the tanglefoot or deciduous beech, is a deciduous shrub or small tree endemic to the highlands of Tasmania, Australia. It was described in 1847 by R.C GunnReid, James B.; Hill, Robert S.; Brown, Michael J.; & Hovenden, Mark ...
'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (Tasmania)
*''Nothofagus macrocarpa
''Nothofagus macrocarpa'', commonly known as roble de Santiago or Santiago's oak, is a deciduous tree in the Nothofagaceae family that is endemic to the mountains of central Chile.
It is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of ''Nothofagus obliqua ...
'' (A.DC.) F.M.Vázquez & R.A.Rodr. (Chile Central)
*''Nothofagus menziesii
''Nothofagus menziesii'', commonly known as silver beech ( mi, tawhai, tahina), is a tree of the southern beech family endemic to New Zealand. Its common name probably comes from the fact that its bark is whitish in colour, particularly in younge ...
'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South)
*''Nothofagus moorei
''Nothofagus moorei'', commonly known as Antarctic beech, is an important Gondwana relict of the rainforests of the southern hemisphere. It occurs in wet, fire-free areas at high altitude in eastern Australia.
The Antarctic beech group (Noth ...
'' (New South Wales, Queensland)
*''Nothofagus nitida">.Muell.) Krasser (New South Wales, Queensland)
*''Nothofagus nitida'' (Phil.) Krasser (Chile South)
*''Nothofagus nuda'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus obliqua'' (Mirb.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South)
*''Nothofagus perryi'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*'' Nothofagus pseudoresinosa'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus pullei
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gu ...
'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus pumilio
''Nothofagus pumilio'', the lenga beech (from the Mapuche language), is a deciduous tree or shrub in the Nothofagaceae family that is native to the southern Andes range, in the temperate forests of Chile and Argentina to Tierra del Fuego, from 35 ...
'' (Poepp. & Endl.) Krasser (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South)
*'' Nothofagus resinosa'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*'' Nothofagus rubra'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*'' Nothofagus rutila'' Ravenna (Chile Central)
*'' Nothofagus solandri'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South)
*''Nothofagus starkenborghii
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
'' Steenis (Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus stylosa
''Nothofagus stylosa'' is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae. It is Endemism, endemic to West Papua (region), West Papua (Indonesia). It was proposed to be renamed ''Trisyngyne stylosa'' in 2013.
It is a Critically Endangered species ...
'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus truncata
''Nothofagus truncata'', or hard beech ( mi, tawhai raunui), is a species of tree endemic to New Zealand. Its common name derives from the fact that the timber has a high silica content, making it tough and difficult to saw.John Dawson and R. Luc ...
'' (Colenso) Cockayne (New Zealand North, New Zealand South)
*'' Nothofagus womersleyi'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus × apiculata'' (Colenso) Cockayne (New Zealand North, New Zealand South)
*''Nothofagus × blairii'' Kirk (New Zealand North, New Zealand South)
*''Nothofagus × dodecaphleps'' Mike L.Grant & E.J.Clement
*''Nothofagus × eugenananus'' Gilland.
*''Nothofagus × leoni'' Espinosa (Chile Central)
*''Nothofagus × solfusca'' Allan (New Zealand North)
*''Nothofagus'' var. ''crenata'' Steenis (New Guinea)
*''Nothofagus'' var. ''sapeii'' Steenis (New Guinea)
Sub-genera
Four sub-genera are recognized, based on morphology and DNA analysis:[
* Subgenus ''Fuscospora'', six species (''N. alessandri, N. cliffortioides, N. fusca, N. gunnii, N. solandri'', and ''N. truncata'') in New Zealand, Tasmania, and southern South America.
* Subgenus ''Lophozonia'', seven species (''N. alpina, N. cunninghamii, N. glauca, N. macrocarpa, N. menziesii, N. moorei'', and ''N. obliqua'') in New Zealand, Australia, and southern South America.
* Subgenus ''Nothofagus'', five species (''N. antarctica, N. betuloides, N. dombeyi, N. nitida'', and ''N. pumilio'') in southern South America.
* Subgenus ''Brassospora'' (or ''Trisyngyne''), 25 species (''N. aequilateralis, N. balansae, N. baumanniae, N. bernhardii, N. brassii, N. carrii, N. codonandra, N. cornuta, N. crenata, N. decipiens, N. discoidea, N. dura, N. eymae, N. flaviramea, N. grandis, N. nuda, N. perryi, N. pseudoresinosa, N, pullei, N. recurva, N. resinosa, N. rubra, N. starkenborghii, N. stylosa'', and ''N. womersleyi'') in New Guinea and New Caledonia.
In 2013, ]Peter Brian Heenan
Peter Brian Heenan (born 1961) is a New Zealand botanist.
Heenan graduated from the University of Canterbury with a PhD in 2000.
Names published
(incomplete list - 193 names published)
*''Alternanthera nahui'' Heenan & de Lange, New Zealan ...
and Rob D. Smissen proposed splitting the genus into four, turning the four recognized subgenera into the new genera ''Fuscospora'', ''Lophozonia'' and ''Trisyngyne'', with the five South American species of subgenus ''Nothofagus'' remaining in genus ''Nothofagus''. The proposed new genera are not accepted at the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected plan ...
.
Extinct species
The following additional species are listed as extinct:
*†'' Nothofagus australis'' (Argentina, Early Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus balfourensis'' (Tasmania, Late Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus beardmorensis'' (Antarctica, Late Pliocene)
*†'' Nothofagus bulbosa'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†''Nothofagus cethanica
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus cooksoniae'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus crenulata'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus cretacea'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous)
*†'' Nothofagus densinervosa'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus elongata'' (Argentina, Early Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus glandularis'' (Tasmania, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus glaucifolia'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous)
*†'' Nothofagus lanceolata'' (Argentina, Late Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus lobata'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus magelhaenica'' (Argentina, Early Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus magellanica'' (Argentina, Late Oligocene-Mid Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus maideni'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene-Mid Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus microphylla'' (Tasmania, Late Oligocene-Mid Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus mucronata'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus muelleri'' (New South Wales, Late Eocene)
*†''Nothofagus novae-zealandiae
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
'' (New Zealand, Mid-Late Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus pachyphylla'' (Tasmania, Early Pleistocene)
*†'' Nothofagus palustris'' (New Zealand, Late Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus peduncularis'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus robusta'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†''Nothofagus serrata
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus serrulata'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus simplicidens'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene)
*†'' Nothofagus smithtonensis'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus tasmanica'' (Tasmania, Eocene-Early Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus ulmifolia'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous)
*†'' Nothofagus variabilis'' (Argentina, Oligocene)
*†'' Nothofagus zastawniakiae'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous)
Distribution
The pattern of distribution around the southern Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The ''Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire.
List of co ...
suggests the dissemination of the genus dates to the time when Antarctica, Australia, and South America were connected in a common land-mass or supercontinent
In geology, a supercontinent is the assembly of most or all of Earth's continent, continental blocks or cratons to form a single large landmass. However, some geologists use a different definition, "a grouping of formerly dispersed continents", ...
referred to as Gondwana
Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...
. However, genetic evidence using molecular dating methods has been used to argue that the species in New Zealand and New Caledonia evolved from species that arrived in these landmasses by dispersal across oceans. Uncertainty exists in molecular dates and controversy rages as to whether the distribution of ''Nothofagus'' derives from the break-up of Gondwana (i.e. vicariance
Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...
), or if long-distance dispersal has occurred across oceans. In South America, the northern limit of the genus can be construed as La Campana National Park
La Campana National Park is located in the Cordillera de la Costa, Quillota Province, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. La Campana National Park and the Vizcachas Mountains lie northwest of Santiago. This national park covers approximately and ...
and the Vizcachas Mountains
The Vizcachas Mountains is a mountain range northwest of Santiago, in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile. It is part of the Chilean Coast Ranges System.
La Campana National Park
Part of the Vizcachas Range was incorporated into a protected ar ...
in the central part of Chile.
Evolutionary history
''Nothofagus'' first appeared in Antarctica during the early Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian s ...
stage (83.6 to 72.1 million years ago) of the Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
. During the Campanian ''Nothofagus'' diversified and became dominant within Antarctic ecosystems, with the appearance of all four modern subgenera by the end of the stage. A diversity of Antarctic ''Nothofagus'' species are known from the Zamek Hill assemblage of King George Island. ''Nothofagus'' shows a progressive decline in the Antarctic pollen record through the Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval from ...
, before substantially recovering after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. ''Nothofagus'' persisted in Antarctica deep into the Cenozoic, despite the increasingly inhospitable conditions, with the final records from the late Neogene
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...
, around 15-5 million years old, which were small tundra-adapted prostrate shrub
A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ground, rather than being held erect as are the branches of most trees and shrubs.
Background
Prostration may occur because the supporting tissues in ste ...
s, similar to ''Salix arctica
''Salix arctica'', the Arctic willow, is a tiny creeping willow (family Salicaceae). It is adapted to survive in Arctic conditions, specifically tundras.
Description
''S. arctica'' is typically a low shrub growing to only in height, rarely to ...
'' (Arctic willow).
''Nothofagus'' first appeared in southern South America during the late Campanian. During the Paleocene and Eocene they were mostly restricted to southern Patagonia, before reaching a peak abundance during the Miocene. Their distribution contracted westwards during the late Miocene due to the aridification of Patagonia.
Although the genus now mostly occurs in cool, isolated, high-altitude environments at temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
and tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
latitude
In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
s, the fossil record shows that it survived in climates that appear to be much warmer than those that ''Nothofagus'' now occupies.
Ecology
''Nothofagus'' species are used as food plants by the larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
e of hepialid moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
s of the genus ''Aenetus
''Aenetus'' is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Most species have green or blue forewings and reddish hindwings, but some are predomi ...
'', including ''A. eximia'' and ''A. virescens''. '' Zelopsis nothofagi'' is a leaf hopper, endemic to New Zealand, which is found on ''Nothofagus''.
''Cyttaria
''Cyttaria'' is a genus of ascomycete fungi. About 10 species belong to ''Cyttaria'', found in South America and Australia associated with or growing on southern beech trees from the genus ''Nothofagus''. The "llao llao" fungus '' Cyttaria hari ...
'' is genus of ascomycete
Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defi ...
fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...
found on or associated with ''Nothofagus'' in Australia and South America. '' Misodendrum'' are specialist parasitic plants found on various species of ''Nothofagus'' in South America.
The species of subgenus ''Brassospora'' are evergreen, and distributed in the tropics of New Guinea, New Britain, and New Caledonia. In New Guinea and New Britain ''Nothofagus'' is characteristic of lower montane rain forests between 1000 and 2500 meters elevation, occurring infrequently at elevations as low as 600 meters and in upper montane forests between 2500 and 3150 meters elevation. ''Nothofagus'' is most commonly found above the ''Castanopsis
''Castanopsis'', commonly called chinquapin or chinkapin, is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 140 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total o ...
-Lithocarpus
''Lithocarpus'' is a genus in the beech family, Fagaceae. Trees in this genus are commonly known as the stone oaks and differ from ''Quercus'' primarily because they produce insect-pollinated flowers on erect spikes and the female flowers have ...
'' zone in the lower montane forests, and below the conifer
Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
-dominated upper montane forests. ''Nothofagus'' grows in mixed stands with trees of other species or in pure stands, particularly on ridge crests and upper slopes. The Central Range has the greatest diversity of species, with fewer species distributed among the mountains of western and northern New Guinea, New Britain, and Goodenough and Normanby islands.
The New Caledonian species are endemic to the main island (Grand Terre), most commonly on soils derived from ultramafic rock
Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are composed ...
s between 150 to 1350 meters elevation. They occur in isolated stands, forming a low or stunted and irregular and fairly open canopy. The conifers ''Agathis
''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely re ...
'' and ''Araucaria
''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen Conifer, coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 20 extant taxon, extant species in New Caledonia (where 14 species are endemism, ende ...
'' are sometimes present as emergents, rising 10 to 20 meters above the ''Nothofagus'' canopy.
Beech mast
Every four to six years or so, ''Nothofagus'' produces a heavier crop of seeds and is known as the beech mast. In New Zealand, the beech mast causes an increase in the population of introduced mammals such as mice, rats, and stoat
The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...
s. When the rodent population collapses, the stoats begin to prey on native bird species, many of which are threatened with extinction. This phenomenon is covered in more detail in the article on stoats in New Zealand
The stoat (''Mustela erminea'') was introduced into New Zealand to control introduced rabbits and hares, but is now a major threat to the native bird population. The natural range of the stoat is limited to parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Imme ...
.
References
External Links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q218274
Nothofagaceae
Trees of New Zealand
Fagales genera
Extant Campanian first appearances
Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Blume