Restauración de campos agrícolas sin competir por el uso de la tierra para aumentar su biodiversidad y servicios ecosistémicos

Los autores que publican en esta revista están de acuerdo con los siguientes términos: Los autores conservan los derechos de autor y garantizan a la revista el derecho de ser la primera publicación del trabajo licenciado según una licencia de atribución Creative Commons que permite a otros compartir el trabajo con el reconocimiento de la autoría y de la publicación en la que se publicó por primera vez. Los autores pueden establecer por separado acuerdos adicionales para la distribución no exclusiva de la versión de la obra publicada en la revista (por ejemplo, situarlo en un repositorio institucional o publicarlo en un libro), con el reconocimiento de haber sido publicado primero en esta revista. Se permite y se anima a los autores a difundir sus trabajos electrónicamente (por ejemplo, en repositorios institucionales o en su propio sitio web) antes y durante el proceso de envío, ya que puede dar lugar a intercambios productivos, así como a una citación más temprana y mayor de los trabajos publicados.La restauración ecológica es capaz de aumentar la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos en los agro-sistemas con el objetivo de contrarrestar los impactos ambientales negativos de la expansión y de la intensificación agrícola. Una forma de conseguir este aumento es mediante acciones de restauración o creación estratégica de elementos clave que benefician a especies silvestres y a servicios ecosistémicos particulares sin competir por el uso de la tierra, a la vez que benefician a los cultivos. Algunas de estas acciones son la introducción de setos, charcas y cajas-nido para depredadores de roedores. La implementación de estas acciones de forma generalizada en el mundo contribuiría de forma importante a conciliar la producción agrícola y la conservación de la biodiversidad.Ecological restoration is capable of enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services in agro-systems to counteract the negative impacts related to agricultural spread and intensification. An approach to get such enhancement is by means of restoring or creating target elements to benefit wildlife and particular services without competition for land use, including agricultural production. Introduction of hedge rows, ponds, and nest boxes for rodent predators are examples of such actions. Wide implementation of these actions is critical to conciliate agricultural production and biodiversity conservation

Plant diversity, biogeography and environment in Iberia: Patterns and possible causal factors

Las figuras que contiene el documento se localizan al final del mismoWe associated patterns of plant diversity with pos- sible causal factors by considering 93 local regions in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands with respect to biogeo- graphy, environmental favourability, and environmental hetero- geneity, and their relationship with measured species diversity at four different scales: mean local species richness standard- ized at a grain of 100 m 2 , total species richness in a community type within a region (regional community richness), mean compositional similarity, and mosaic diversity. Local regions in biogeographic transition zones to the North African and Atlantic floras had higher regional commu- nity richness and greater mosaic diversity than did non-transi- tional regions, whereas no differences existed in mean local species richness or mean compositional similarity. Mean local species richness was positively related to environmental fa- vourability as measured by actual evapotranspiration, but negatively related to total precipitation and temporal heteroge- neity in precipitation. Mean local species richness was great- est in annual grassland and dwarf shrubland communities, and on calcareous bedrock types. Regional community richness was similarly related to actual evapotranspiration and total precipitation, but in addition was positively related to spatial heterogeneity in topography and soil water holding capacity. Mean compositional similarity decreased with increasing spa- tial heterogeneity and temperature seasonality. Mosaic diver- sity, a measure of complexity, increased with increasing local and regional richness. We hypothesize that these relationships can be explained by four ecological and evolutionary classes of causal factors: nu mbers of individuals, intermediate environments, limits to adaptation, and niche variation. These factors operate at various scales and manifest themselves in various ways. For example, at the site level, apparently processes that increase the number of individuals increase mean local species richness, but at the level of the entire region no such effects were foundWe are deeply indebted to Íñigo Vázquez- Dodero for his assistance in the early stages of this study. Jose M. Rey Arnaiz provided climate data. Emilio Chuvieco pro- vided the remote sensing data. Julio Álvarez, Javier Amigo, Carmen Bartolomé, and Marcelino de la Cruz provided useful information for finding data sets. Manuel Segura and Javier Temiño assisted with the classification of bedrock and soil types. Diana Piorno, Carmen Pineda, and Francisco Bermejo assisted with data entry. Meelis Pärtel, Mike Willig, Brad Hawkins, Sandra Lavorel, Jane Franklin, and R.M. Cowling provided comments about a previous version of this manu- script. This study was funded by the “Determinantes de la diversidad biológica en ecosistemas mediterráneos. Papel de los procesos locales y regionales” project (CICYT AMB96- 1161), and additionally supported by the ”Factores limitantes de la revegetación con especies leñosas autóctonas de áreas degradadas en ambientes mediterráneos. Rendimiento de distintas actuaciones de manejo” project (CICYT REN 2000 745). Travel by J.M.R.B. and S.M.S. was funded by the Universidad de Alcalá. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Founda- tion or the United States Governmen

Clipping herbaceous vegetation improves early performance of planted seedlings of the Mediterranean shrub Quercus coccifera

We tested how the conditions resulting from alternative management strategies addressed to mitigate abiotic and biotic limitations to plant establishment affect the performance of planted Quercus coccifera seedlings. This species is a xerophytic and heliophillous Mediterranean shrub, of interest for the restoration of abandoned farmland. We hypothesised that release from herb competition by clipping would allow Q. coccifera seedlings to cope more efficiently with water shortage by adjusting their mass allocation pattern. We established three environments of herb competition: absence of competition (AC), reduced competition by clipping (RC), and total competition (TC); and applied two irrigation treatments: low and high irrigation. We measured soil moisture at different depths, above- and below-ground herb biomass, and evaluated seedling responses, such as mortality, growth, biomass allocation, and morphological and physiological features. The TC treatment reduced water availability more than the RC treatment, in agreement with the highest water stress of seedlings under TC conditions. Irrigation increased above- and below-ground herb biomass, whereas clipping reduced herb production. Release of herb competition by clipping increased seedling survivorship by one order of magnitude and resulted in a growth rate comparable to the absence of competition. This growth was mostly related to carbon gain allocated to roots. The competition intensity imposed by treatments was related to a parallel reduction in total plant leaf area, biomass allocated to leaves and shoot:root ratio, and an increase in biomass allocated to roots and leaf mass area. The negative effects of herbs on Q. coccifera seedlings seem the result of competition for both water and light, in contrast with previous research with more mesic Quercus species, for which competition is primarily for water. Clipping of herbs is a feasible technique that greatly improved seedling performance, and thus a valuable alternative to herbicide application, common in native plantations aimed at restoring Mediterranean farmland

Enabling conditions for the implementation and conservation outcomes of a private nature reserve

Expanding conservation efforts to private land is paramount to halt biodiversity loss and achieve global conservation targets. Individual landowners can play disproportionately important roles by establishing private parks and managing them with biodiversity‐focused objectives. However, several constraints hinder the expansion of such initiatives, and little is known about their extent, characteristics and keys for success.Here, we provide insights on the conditions that favoured the establishment and conservation outcomes of a private reserve in central Spain whose management has been fully conservation‐oriented for the past two decades. We report on the actions implemented to accomplish four key targets that aimed at protecting and enhancing wildlife populations, and on the landholder's motivations to devote his personal resources to pursue this goal.The landholder suggests that public policy should reduce the bureaucratic burden to intrinsically motivated landowners and provide them technical advice, trust and financial incentives to expand conservation on private land.Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación DigitalMinisterio de Ciencia e InnovaciónMinisterio de Educación, Cultura y DeporteComunidad de Madri

Shifting demographic conflicts across recruitment cohorts in a dynamic post-disturbance landscape

Seed dispersal effectiveness, which measures the number of adult plant individuals produced by seed dispersal, is the product of the number of seeds dispersed and the probability a seed produces an adult. Directed dispersal to certain habitat types may enhance some stages of recruitment but disfavor others, generating demographic conflicts in plant ontogeny. We asked whether temporal changes in habitat features may affect the distribution of seedlings recruited from dispersed acorns, and whether this could induce shifts in the life-stage conflicts experienced by successive cohorts of naturally recruited plants. As early successional habitats are characterized by rapid change, we used a burnt pine stand in southern Spain to monitor the recruitment and performance of a major tree species (Quercus ilex) across 7 yr in four types of post-fire habitats. These differed in structure and included patches of unburnt forest and three management alternatives of burnt trees: logging, partial cutting, and nonintervention. Young oaks that resprouted after the fire were mainly located near acorn sources, while new seedlings initially emerged mostly in habitats with standing snags due to habitat selection by European jays, Garrulus glandarius, for dispersal. The dead pines gradually collapsed and attracted less dispersal, so subsequent seedling cohorts mainly recruited within patches of unburnt pines. These live pines enhanced the survival of the oaks located beneath their canopy but greatly reduced their growth as compared to the other post-fire habitats, thus representing a demographic conflict that was absent elsewhere. As a consequence of the directional shift in the habitat where seedlings recruited, successive seedling cohorts experienced a gradual improvement in their likelihood of survival but a reduction in growth. The progressive intensification of this life-stage conflict hinged on the reduction of vertical structures in the habitat with standing burnt pines. Recruitment success thus involved temporal variation in the habitat where recruitment occurred, likely resulting from changes in the direction of seed dispersal, and spatial variation in habitat suitability for seedling establishment and growth. Temporal changes in habitat structure can indirectly change the environment in which recruitment occurs, and consequently seed dispersal effectiveness, by shifting the direction of seed dispersal.Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciónComunidad de MadridMinisterio de Ciencia y Educació

Local habitat and landscape influence high predation of bird nests on afforested Mediterranean cropland

Afforestation programs such as the one promoted by the EU Common Agrarian Policy have contributed to spread tree plantations on former cropland. Nevertheless these afforestations may cause severe damage to open habitat species, especially birds of high conservation value. We investigated predation of artificial bird nests at young tree plantations and at the open farmland habitat adjacent to the tree plantations in central Spain. Predation rates were very high at both tree plantations (95.6%) and open farmland habitat (94.2%) after two and three week exposure. Plantation edge/area ratio and development of the tree canopy decreased predation rates and plantation area and magpie (Pica pica) abundance increased predation rates within tree plantations, which were also affected by land use types around plantations. The area of nearby tree plantations (positive effect), distance to the tree plantation edge (negative effect), and habitat type (mainly attributable to the location of nests in vineyards) explained predation rates at open farmland habitat. We conclude that predation rates on artificial nests were particularly high and rapid at or nearby large plantations, with high numbers of magpies and low tree development, and located in homogenous landscapes dominated by herbaceous crops and pastures with no remnants of semi-natural woody vegetation. Landscape planning should not favour tree plantations as the ones studied here in Mediterranean agricultural areas that are highly valuable for ground-nesting bird species.Ministerio de Ciencia y EducaciónComunidad de Madri

Landscape- and field-scale control of spatial variation of soil properties in Mediterranean montane meadows

Las figuras que contiene el documento se localizan al final del mismoSoil properties of terrestrial ecosystems are controlled by a variety of factors that operate at different scales. We tested the role of abiotic and biotic factors that potentially influence spatial gradients of total ion content, acidity, carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous in topsoil. We studied a network of Mediterranean montane meadows that spans a 2000-m altitudinal gradient. The analyzed factors were grouped into two spatial scales: a landscape scale (climate and land form) and a field scale (topography, soil texture, soil moisture, and plant community composition). Total ion content and acidity are the major and independent variation trends of soil geochemistry. Soil acidity, carbon, and nitrogen increased along the altitudinal gradient whereas there was no relationship between total ion content and phosphorous and elevation. Climate had no direct influence on the analyzed gradients; all effects of climate were indirect through plant community composition and/or soil moisture. The results point to three types of models that explain the gradients of soil chemical composition: (1) a predominantly biotic control of carbon and nitrogen, (2) a predominantly abiotic control of acidity, and (3) a combined biotic and abiotic control of total ionic content. No direct or indirect effects explained the gradient of phosphorous. In our study region (central Spain), climate is predicted to turn more arid and soils will lose moisture. According to our models, this will result in less acid and fertile soils, and any change in plant community composition will modify gradients of soil carbon, nitrogen, total ion content, and acidity

Simulated effects of herb competition on planted Quercus faginea seedlings in Mediterranean abandoned cropland

We tested simulated effects of herb competition on the performance of planted seedlings of Quercus faginea ssp. faginea in Mediterranean abandoned cropland. We produced three types of environment with respect to herb competition: absence of competition (AC), below-ground competition (BGC), and total competition (TC). We assessed the performance of Q. faginea seedlings in each treatment in five ways: (1) seedling mortality, (2) leaf length and total plant leaf area, (3) water potential, (4) total biomass and biomass allocation, and (5) non-structural carbohydrate storage in different plant organs. We also measured (6) soil moisture at different depths and (7) biomass production of herbs. The TC treatment reduced water availability more than the BGC treatment, in agreement with the most pronounced water stress in seedlings under TC conditions. BGC and TC treatments showed a high and similar seedling mortality, which was one order of magnitude higher than that in the AC treatment. Competition treatments affected glucose concentration in both shoots and roots, and followed the rank TC > BGC > AC. Q. faginea seedlings might compensate a lower water availability through glucose accumulation in leaves to reduce the osmotic potential. There was a maximum starch concentration in the BGC treatment that hints that a moderate resource limitation would limit tissue growth but not carbon assimilation. We conclude that the negative effects of herbs on Q. faginea seedlings are mostly a result of competition for water, and that this competition is noticeable since the earliest stages of the establishment. Complete weed removal is a technique that would strongly improve seedling survivorship.This research has been funded by the projects Factores limitantes de la revegetación con especies leñosas autóctonas de áreas degradadas en ambientes mediterráneos.\ud Rendimiento de distintas actuaciones de manejo (REN2000-745), granted by the\ud CICYT (Spanish government) and Estrategias para la restauración de paisajes\ud degradados en zonas secas (E040/2001), granted by the Universidad de Alcalá. We are\ud indebted to the students Olivier Pastre and Antoine Aubeneau for their assistance in\ud field and lab work. We acknowledge the comments on a preliminary version of this\ud manuscript from our colleagues Fernando Valladares, Pedro Villar, and Miguel A.\ud Zavala. Peter Buckley and an anonymous reviewer improved its final version

Does post-disturbance salvage logging affect the provision of ecosystem services? A systematic review protocol

Background. Forest fires, insect outbreaks, and windstorms are common forest disturbances that are expected to increase in importance in coming decades. Post-disturbance management often involves salvage logging, i.e. the felling and removal of the affected trees. However, harvesting these biological legacies may represent a second disturbance whose effects on ecosystem processes add on those of the initial disturbance. Many of the potentially affected processes, such as soil erosion and stream water quality, represent regulating and supporting ecosystem services important for human society. In the last 15 years, much empirical evidence has been gathered on the ecological consequences of this management practice, and it has now become necessary to synthesise this evidence in meaningful ways for managers and decision-makers.Methods. With this systematic review we aim to synthesise the literature on the effects of salvage logging on ecosystem services and determine the effects of major effect modifiers such as disturbance type and intensity, the timing and method of logging, and the type of forest. We will conduct searches of the primary scientific literature, which will be selected and categorised according to its relevance to the topic and its quality. Each relevant article will be read in full to obtain the necessary data for meta-analysis and to identify its main conclusions. Mixed-effects models will be performed to assess the effects of the identified effect modifiers on the effect sizes of the salvage intervention on ecosystem services and to account for random effects arising from studies being performed in the same area. Sensitivity analyses will test the potential effects of study quality, and publication bias will be assessed with the trim and fill method. We will present the results as a narrative review and a meta-analysis