An understanding of spatial patterns of plant species diversity and the factors that 2 drive those patterns is critical for the development of appropriate biodiversity 3 management in forest ecosystems. We studied the spatial organization of plants species in human-modified and managed oak forests (primarily, Quercus faginea) in 5 the Central Pre-Pyrenees, Spain. To test whether plant community assemblages 6 varied non-randomly across the spatial scales, we used multiplicative diversity 7 partitioning based on a nested hierarchical design of three increasingly coarser 8 spatial scales (transect, stand, region). To quantify the importance of the structural, 9 spatial, and topographical characteristics of stands in patterning plant species 10 assemblages and identify the determinants of plant diversity patterns, we used 11 canonical ordination. We observed a high contribution of -diversity to total -12 Maintaining habitat heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales should be considered in 1 the development of management plans for enhancing plant diversity and related 2 functions in human-altered forests.
Abstract:Astragalus gines-lopezii Talavera, Podlech, Devesa & F.M.Vazquez (Fabaceae) is a threatened endemic species with a distribution restricted to a very small area in Badajoz Province (Extremadura Region, SW Spain) and only 2 populations are known. This species was catalogued in the "Endangered" category in the 2008 Red List and the 2010 Threatened Spanish Vascular Flora List. Despite its status as an endangered species, at present very little is known about the distribution, census, and reproductive biology of this species. In this study we have carried out an exhaustive census of A. gines-lopezii, and we have evaluated the production of flowers, fruits, and seeds and the existence or not of intra-and interpopulation variability in seed germination. Results have highlighted the high reproductive capacity of this species on the basis of a high production of flowers, fruits, and seeds. Mechanical scarification of seeds was effective for increasing germination. Thus, initial germination (22%-60%) was increased to 97%-99% when seeds were rubbed with sandpapers. A high intra-and interpopulation variability in seed germination was found in this species. A. gines-lopezii produces seeds with different degrees of physical dormancy, varying this grade among different individuals within a population.
At some point in their history, most forests in the Mediterranean Basin have been subjected to intensive management or converted to agriculture land. Knowing how forest plant communities recovered after the abandonment of forest-management or agricultural practices (including livestock grazing) provides a basis for investigating how previous land management have affected plant species diversity and composition in forest ecosystems. Our study investigated the consequences of historical “land management” practices on present-day Mediterranean forests by comparing species assemblages and the diversity of (i) all plant species and (ii) each ecological group defined by species’ habitat preferences and successional status (i.e., early-, mid-, and late-successional species). We compared forest stands that differed both in land-use history and in successional stage. In addition, we evaluated the value of those stands for biodiversity conservation. The study revealed significant compositional differentiation among stands that was due to among-stand variations in the diversity (namely, species richness and evenness) of early-, intermediate-, and late-successional species. Historical land management has led to an increase in compositional divergences among forest stands and the loss of late-successional forest species.
-Senecio coincyi (Asteraceae) is a threatened endemic plant of central western Spain. The reproductive biology of this species in relation to the characteristics of its habitats and the possible strategies for its conservation, were studied. The area of occupancy, habitat types and size of 13 known subpopulations of S. coincyi was evaluated. Germination tests were carried out to assess the effect of temperature and light regimes, and the possible intraspecific variation on the cypsela germination. Cypselas reached very high germination percentages (90-100%) from 15°C to 30°C. However, the germination decreased (by about 19%) at 10°C. The light conditions assayed did not significantly affect cypsela germination. In conclusion, S. coincyi showed high sexual reproduction ability, and therefore its conservation problems are not due to agents related to its reproductive biology, but to others, such as the alteration of its habitat caused by the presence of livestock.
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