Questions: Species distribution models (SDMs) based on habitat suitability and niche quantification are powerful tools in vegetation science. Recent findings suggest that they could be applied at the landscape scale as vegetation conservation tools, but that some environmental dimensions (e.g., climate) need to be considered at larger scales. What is the importance of applying hierarchical SDMs combining information from different scales to ensure consistent local vegetation management decisions?Study Site: Mainland Spain and Biosphere Reserve of Sierra del Rincón (central Spain). Methods:We generated SDMs for five tree species at the regional scale (mainland Spain) using climatic variables plus presence/absence data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory; and at the landscape scale (Sierra del Rincón Biosphere Reserve) using local environmental variables plus locally gathered vegetation presence/absence data. Predictions of both regional and landscape models were combined at the landscape scale following two different hierarchical approaches. The four resulting predictions were compared with correlation coefficients and independently evaluated with the AUC statistic and data collected in the study area.Results: The regional SDMs depict suitable climatic conditions for the tree species, while the landscape SDMs capture important local ecological drivers that influence habitat suitability at finer scales. Expectedly, the regional SDMs predict larger suitable areas than the landscape SDMs. The predictions from the hierarchical approaches are reliable and provide on average better results than non-hierarchical ones. Conclusions: SDMs can be valuable tools for local plant conservation programs.We present examples of the applicability of a hierarchical modeling approach and conceptual and methodological solutions related to the use of these tools in local vegetation conservation programs. For example, we show that landscape SDMs could be used to determine the current distribution of endangered plant species, while a hierarchical approach would be better suited to define areas to re-vegetate within a local restoration program. K E Y W O R D S conservation plan, ecological drivers, ensemble modeling, environmental niche, forest management, habitat suitability, hierarchical species distribution models, plants, spatial distribution, species distribution modeling, vegetation restoration | Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article.Appendix S1 Downscaling of climatic variables.Appendix S2 Landscape, regional, hierarchical1 and hierarchical2SDMs derived for the five species considered in this study. How to cite this article:Mateo RG, Gastón A, Aroca-Fernández MJ, et al. Hierarchical species distribution models in support of vegetation conservation at the landscape scale. J
Landscape connectivity has traditionally been studied for animal species rather than for plants, especially under a multispecies approach. However, connectivity can be equally critical for both fauna and flora and, thus, an essential point in the selection of key management areas and measures. This paper explores a spatially explicit framework to assess the contribution of habitat patches in the conservation and enhancement of plant functional connectivity and habitat availability in a multispecies context. It relies on graph theory and a habitat availability index and differentiates between two management scenarios: (i) conservation; and (ii) restoration, by considering current and potential species distribution based on species distribution models together with a vegetation survey. The results mapped at high spatial resolution priority target areas to apply management measures. We found that intervening in a small proportion of the study area may lead to double the average overall landscape connectivity of the studied species. This study aimed at proposing an innovative methodology that allows studying connectivity for multiple plant species at landscape scale while integrating their individual characteristics. The proposed framework is a step toward incorporating connectivity concerns into plant biodiversity management, based on a better understanding of landscape structure and functionality. Here, we illustrated its significant potential for local conservation and restoration planning and resource optimization.
La compactación edáfica derivada de diferentes aprovechamientos forestales es actualmente tema de debate, particularmente en el contexto español en el que existe un nivel creciente de mecanización en la extracción de madera. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo comparar los niveles de compactación resultantes tras cinco décadas de tránsito de maquinaria durante los aprovechamientos mecanizados de madera (apeo con motosierra y saca con skidder de neumáticos), con el derivado del tránsito de ganado pastante (en el último siglo mayoritariamente vacuno en extensivo), en una masa de pino silvestre de la Sierra de Guadarrama sobre suelos franco-arenosos. Para ello se cuantifica la resistencia a penetración del suelo entre 0 y 50cm de profundidad en 180 puntos repartidos aleatoriamente en el monte. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que: 1) no existen diferencias significativas en los primeros 50 cm entre los perfiles medios de resistencia a penetración del suelo generados por maquinaria y ganado en las zonas de alto tránsito; 2) dichas zonas sí muestran por el contrario diferencias significativas con las de bajo tránsito, que aumentan hasta los 16,8 cm de profundidad en que se alcanza el máximo (406,3 kPa); 3) a partir de esa profundidad la diferencia decrece hasta dejar de ser significativa en torno a 36,8 cm. El caso aportado pone de manifiesto que, para predecir la compactación generada por un aprovechamiento en unas determinadas condiciones de estación, resulta imprescindible valorar no sólo el tipo de agente perturbador, sino también las características de las cargas y el régimen de perturbación previsto.
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