Sub-chapter 2.4.1. Mediterranean forests, biocultural heritage and climate change

Soil biota response to experimental rainfall reduction depends on the dominant tree species in mature northern Mediterranean forests

“…In addition, oaks and pines are dominant tree genera that structure both temperate and Mediterranean forests (Ellenberg, 1988;Quézel and Médail, 2003). As oak and pine forests exhibit different microclimatic and soil properties (e.g., pH, soil type, humus forms; Table 1; Gauquelin et al, 2016) as well as chemically and structurally different litters (oak leaves vs. pine needles; Aupic-Samain et al, 2019;Santonja et al, 2015), we could expect that climate change may distinctly affect soil biota in these two forest types. However, our current understanding of soil biota responses to climate change drivers in Mediterranean oak and pine forests is still limited by a lack of studies addressing conjointly the relative contributions of environmental conditions and leaf litter quality and both direct and indirect effects of climate change on these organisms.…”

Land use legacy footprint in Mediterranean forest soils: An infrared spectroscopy approach

“…Moreover, farming practices and land development (terraces, stone removal, ploughing, manuring and grazing) have durably modified the environment. Finally, though Mediterranean forests have been described as a hotspot of forest species and genetic diversities, they are also considered as heavily degraded areas due to local agro-sylvopastoral practices and to local managements leading to deforestation, forest degradation and desertification (Gauquelin et al, 2018;FAO and Plan Bleu. 2018).…”

Rhizosphere mycobiome diversity in four declining Mediterranean tree species

“…Mediterranean forests are characteristic ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin, but also present in California, South Africa and Chile. These forests are a hot spot of genetic diversity in the European continent, as they harbor 290 tree species, compared to 135 reported in the rest of Europe (Gauquelin et al, 2018). The organisms that make up the Mediterranean forests are usually adapted to very specific climatic factors, such as the existence of a marked seasonality characterized by long periods of summer drought, and great variability in the total annual rainfall.…”

“…Chestnut has been widely cultivated as a monoculture for centuries and as a source of timber and fruit, although in recent decades it has been progressively felled (Garfì et al, 2022). Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) spreads over between 1.7 and 2.7 million ha of the Mediterranean Basin and has been cultivated for 3,000 years for the production of bark, representing the second most important marketable non-timber forest product (Gauquelin et al, 2018). Holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) forests comprise 4% of the forests of the Mediterranean Basin, being fully adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions.…”