Vegas (Mallínes): Patagonian wetlands still underexplored by soil science. An international and multidisciplinary effort to highlight their soil-based ecosystems functions

Abstract

Patagonian “Vegas” are unique wetland ecosystems located in the arid and semi-arid steppe of Austral Patagonia (41–55◦S), a region that remains largely unexplored by soil science, despite its ecological importance. Therefore, this study aims to assess the contribution of Vegas to key soil-based ecosystem functions—biomass production, water regulation, carbon sequestration, and nutrient content—and to evaluate their degradation status through a classification soil-based model. To meet the objectives of this study, a global bibliometric analysis (4283 pub­ lications) and a regional bibliometric analysis (55 publications) were carried out. Meanwhile, it produced a descriptive statistical summary (with 998 data points) and classification models for the ecological condition of the Vegas (with 322 data points). Compared with the vast number of wetland studies conducted in the Northern Hemisphere, our regional bibliographic analysis revealed a relative scarcity of research focused on Patagonian Vegas. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that well-preserved Vegas store up to 300 Mg C ha− 1, hold an average of 8500 m3 water ha− 1 (0–200 cm depth), and maintain high productivity across diverse hydrological and landscape gradients. Degradation, however, can reduce these capacities by up to 20 %. Using key soil parameters such as—pH, organic carbon, water holding capacity, and electrical conductivity—a Random Forest model was developed to classify the soil ecological condition of Vegas, achieving an overall classification accuracy of 67 %. This work highlights the role of Patagonian Vegas as critical carbon and water reservoirs, which is particularly relevant due to the ongoing climate warming where exacerbated organic C decomposition can take place. Furthermore, we state a clear definition of Vegas to use by future conservation and land-use strategies. Given their high vulner­ ability to grazing, agricultural and other management pressures, the implementation of climate-based monitoring tools is critical to safeguard their ecological integrity and to ensure the sustainable provision of ecosystem services in one of the world’s most climate-sensitive regions.