Capronia capucina is known from only two sites of the Andean Patagonian forest of Argentina, associated with Nothofagacea bark of living trees. It is saprophytic on bark of Lophozonia alpina and Nothofagus antarctica. These plants are endemic from the Argentinean and Chilean Patagonian forests from 34 up to 56 degrees of south latitude, in areas with temperate to cold climate with high humidity, strong westerly winds and frequent snowfall. It is expected that the fungus occurs along the distribution of the hosts plants, over the 700m asl., and probably in the more humid areas. There are many threats to the habitat of the associated planets, such as fires ( the principal problem), the use of the forest land for housing installations, livestock, extraction of wood and soil, recreation activities and tourism, that are causing a decline of the forest. An additional and growing threat to this habitat is climate change, which is of particular concern as Nothofagaceae trees exhibit poor dispersal ability and may not be able to adapt and migrate in response to a warming climate. Despite extensive surveys elsewhere in the Andean Patagonia forest failed to find additional records for the species, making estimation of population size and change difficult. The fungus is therefore assessed as DD.

Capronia capucina R.M. Sánchez, A.N. Mill. & Bianchin. Plant and Fungal Systematics 64(1): 85 (2019)

Capronia capucina is a saprotrophic species known from only two sites of the Andean Patagonian forest of Argentina, associated with bark of living Lophozonia alpina and Nothofagus antarctica. These plants are endemic from the Argentinean and Chilean Patagonian forests from 34 up to 56 degrees of south latitude, in areas with temperate to cold climate with high humidity, strong westerly winds and frequent snowfall. It is expected that the fungus occurs along the distribution of the hosts plants, over the 700m asl., and probably in the more humid areas. There exists many threats to the habitat where the host plants live, such as fires which are the principal problem, the use of the forest land for housing installations and for livestock, extraction of wood and soil, anthropic use for recreation activities and tourism, that are causing a decline of the forest. Also a growing threat to this habitat is climate change, which is of particular concern as Nothofagaceae trees exhibit poor dispersal ability and may not be able to adapt and migrate in response to a warming climate. Extensive surveys elsewhere in the Andean Patagonia forest have failed to find this species.

Capronia capucina has a restricted distribution with only two localities known so far from the Andean Patagonian forest of Argentina, more precisely two nature reserves: Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi and Parque Nacional Lanín. The hosts plants species occur from Argentina and Chile, Lophozonia alpina is more frequent in Chile from the 34.4° to 44°of south latitude but in Argentina is only present approximately between the 39º and 41º of south latitude, in an altitude range around 200 to 1200m asl., and on the other hand Nothofagus antarctica is distributed along the Andean forest from 36° south latitude up to Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and Magallanes region (Chile).

Capronia capucina is known from two different sites of the Andean Patagonian forest of Argentina, associated with bark of living Lophozonia alpina and Nothofagus antarctica. These plants occur in the Argentinean and Chilean Patagonian forests from 34 up to 56 degrees of south latitude, in areas with temperate to cold climate with high humidity, strong westerly winds and frequent snowfall. The fungus was found in 2 sites, in one of them (40°37′5.41″S, 71°38′48.79″W, 892m asl.) in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi it was associated to three different N. antarctica trees and in the other site (40°8′25.29″S, 71°40′3.84″W, 757m asl.), it was associated with one L. alpina tree. It is expected that the fungus occurs along the distribution of L. alpina and N. Antarctica, over the 700m asl., and probably in the more humid areas. Because of its very small size this species may be easily overlooked but, based on extensive surveys (20 different sites revised in three national parks) from the middle to northern part of the forest, the collections seem to indicate that it has a restricted distribution, that should be confirmed. The fungus likely occurs in the Nothofagaceae of Chile, but it is not documented. Although extensive surveys elsewhere in the Andean Patagonia forest have failed to find this species, without clear information on its percentual of decreasing and impossibility to understand its population size the species is assessed as DD.

 

Capronia capucina is a saprotroph species found growing on bark of Lophozonia alpina and Nothofagus antarctica bark (Nothofagaceae), trees from the Andean Patagonian forest of Argentina and Chile. The Notofagaceae dominated forests where the species occurs are also populated by Austrocedrus chilensis, but the species was not found growing associated with the bark of A. chilensis individuals. The area where the fungus occurs is characterised by deciduous forests developed in a temperate to cold climate with strong westerly winds, frequent snowfall and high annual rainfalls.

The threats to the habitat where the fungus is found are the use of the forest land for housing installations or for cattle raising (the latter decreases the survival of the seedlings), extraction of wood/firewood or soil, invasion of exotic species, increase forest use for recreation and tourism, more susceptibility to pathogen attack because alterations in the water dynamics due to climate change, and the increasing fires mainly in areas close to population centres (Amoroso et al., 2017; Carabelli & Antequera, 2003; Rodríguez-Cantón et al., 2016; Nowak, 2018;
Veblen et al., 2008). Also a growing threat to this habitat is climate change, which is of particular concern as Nothofagaceae trees exhibit poor dispersal ability and may not be able to adapt and migrate in response to a warming climate (Baldwin et al., 2018).

The main action to prevent the decline of the species is the protection of its habitat, and more specifically of the Nothofagaceae species in which C. capucina is associated. On the one hand it is important to implement the law established in 2007 for regulating the use of forest land for housing and to check it is being respected. Also, opportunities abound to combine ambitious goals of forest restoration and regeneration with sustainable rural livelihoods and community participation. Although it will not match the composition and structure of the original forest cover, new forests are being regenerated on former agricultural land, and forest plantations are being established for commercial and restoration purposes worldwide (Chazdon et al., 2008).

It is needed to expand knowledge about the distribution of C. capucina, more accurately if it is represented or not in the Chilean Andean Nothofagaceae forests and also if it occurs under 43° south latitude in the Argentinean Andean forest. Also, it is important to understand better the threats and how it is affecting the size population.

No use/trade is known.