Topographic controls on the spatial distribution of ground cover in the Tabernas badlands of SE Spain

Cantón, Yolanda; Barrio, Gabriel del; Solé‐Benet, Albert; Lázaro, Roberto

doi:10.1016/s0341-8162(03)00108-5

Cited by 136 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Silt is the dominant particle size, and soils are classified as Epileptic, Endoleptic or Calcaric Regosols and Eutric Gypsisols (Cantón et al, 2003). The landscape is characterized by asymmetric hillslopes, so ground cover is strongly controlled by topographic attributes (Cantón et al, 2004). NE-facing slopes, with gradients ranging from 10° to 30°, are heavily covered by biocrusts, frequently consisting of crustose and squamulose lichens, interspersed with vegetated patches which become denser on the pediments.…”

Section: Materials and Methods Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of organic carbon losses by water erosion after biocrust removal

Cantón

Román

Chamizo

et al. 2014

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

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Abstract:In arid and semiarid ecosystems, plant interspaces are frequently covered by communities of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and mosses, known as biocrusts. These crusts often act as runoff sources and are involved in soil stabilization and fertility, as they prevent erosion by water and wind, fix atmospheric C and N and contribute large amounts of C to soil. Their contribution to the C balance as photosynthetically active surfaces in arid and semiarid regions is receiving growing attention. However, very few studies have explicitly evaluated their contribution to organic carbon (OC) lost from runoff and erosion, which is necessary to ascertain the role of biocrusts in the ecosystem C balance. Furthermore, biocrusts are not resilient to physical disturbances, which generally cause the loss of the biocrust and thus, an increase in runoff and erosion, dust emissions, and sediment and nutrient losses. The aim of this study was to find out the influence of biocrusts and their removal on dissolved and sediment organic carbon losses. One-hour extreme rainfall simulations (50 mm h -1 ) were performed on small plots set up on physical soil crusts and three types of biocrusts, representing a development gradient, and also on plots where these crusts were removed from. Runoff and erosion rates, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and organic carbon bonded to sediments (S d OC) were measured during the simulated rain. Our results showed different S d OC and DOC for the different biocrusts and also that the presence of biocrusts substantially decreased total organic carbon (TOC) (average 1.80±1.86 g m -2 ) compared to physical soil crusts (7.83±3.27 g m -2 ). Within biocrusts, TOC losses decreased as biocrusts developed, and erosion rates were lower. Thus, erosion drove TOC losses while no significant direct relationships were found between TOC losses and runoff. In both physical crusts and biocrusts, DOC and S d OC concentrations were higher during the first minutes after runoff began and decreased over time as nutrient-enriched fine particles were washed away by runoff water. Crust removal caused a strong increase in water erosion and TOC losses. The strongest impacts on TOC losses after crust removal occurred on the lichen plots, due to the increased erosion when they were removed. DOC concentration was higher in biocrust-removed soils than in intact biocrusts, probably because OC is more strongly retained by BSC structures, but easily blown away in soils devoid of them. However, S d OC concentration was higher in intact than removed biocrusts associated with greater OC content in the top crust than in the soil once the crust is scraped off. Consequently, the loss of biocrusts leads to OC impoverishment of nutrient-limited interplant spaces in arid and semiarid areas and the reduction of soil OC heterogeneity, essential for vegetation productivity and functioning of this type of ecosystems.

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Section: Materials and Methods Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of organic carbon losses by water erosion after biocrust removal

Cantón

Román

Chamizo

et al. 2014

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

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“…3.3, seed redistribution by runoff can provide seeds with a second chance to lie in a more favourable site for seed germination and seedling establishment in arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems. In some cases, however, seed removal by runoff can be responsible for the loss of seed germination opportunities when seeds of plants inhabiting eroded hillslopes are moved downhill to less favourable sites where seeds can get deeply buried or suffer from strong competition with other seedlings or pre-established plants in water-and nutrientrich soils (Cantón et al, 2004). As a result, plants may have evolved strategies to escape from massive seed loss to unsafe sites (Engelbrecht, 2014).…”

Section: Seed Removal By Runoff Selects For Seed Traits Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fate of seeds in the soil: a review of the influence of overland flow on seed removal and its consequences for the vegetation of arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems

Bochet

2015

SOIL

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Abstract. Since seeds are the principle means by which plants move across the landscape, the final fate of seeds plays a fundamental role in the assemblage, functioning and dynamics of plant communities. Once seeds land on the soil surface after being dispersed from the parent plant, they can be moved horizontally by surface runoff. In arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems, where seeds are scattered into a very heterogeneous environment and intense rainfalls occur, the transport of seeds by runoff to new sites may be an opportunity for seeds to reach more favourable sites for seed germination and seedling survival. Although seed transport by runoff may be of vital importance for the recruitment of plants in these ecosystems, it has received little attention in the scientific literature, especially among soil scientists. The main goals of this review paper are (1) to offer an updated conceptual model of seed fate with a focus on seed destiny in and on the soil; (2) to review studies on seed fate in overland flow and the ecological implications seed transport by runoff has for the origin, spatial patterning and maintenance of patches in arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems; and finally (3) to point out directions for future research.This review shows that seed fate in overland flow may result either in the export of seeds from the system (seed loss) or in the spatial redistribution of seeds within the system through short-distance seed movements (seed displacement). Seed transport by runoff depends on rainfall, slope and soil characteristics. Susceptibility of seed removal varies highly between species and is mainly related to seed traits, including seed size, seed shape, presence of appendages, and ability of a seed to secrete mucilage. Although initially considered as a risk of seed loss, seed removal by runoff has recently been described as an ecological driver that shapes plant composition from the first phases of the plant life by favouring species with seeds able to resist erosion and by selecting for plant traits that prevent seed loss. Moreover, the interaction of seed transport by overland flow with the high seed trapping capacity of vegetated patches results in a "patch-to-patch" transport of seeds that plays a relevant role in vegetation establishment and patterning in arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems.Overall, this review shows how the knowledge about seed fate in overland flow can be used to explain a number of important characteristics of whole plant communities. It also underlines important gaps in knowledge that should be filled in. Future lines of research are proposed in order to broaden our understanding of the origin, maintenance and dynamics of patchiness in arid and semiarid ecosystems and to improve restoration success of intensively eroded ecosystems. Among the most exciting challenges, empirical studies are needed to understand the relevance of short-distance seed displacements in the origin and maintenance of patchiness, addressing the feedbacks between structure and function and abiotic a...

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“…Environmental factors such as topography, soil, water, and climate influence vegetation distribution in mountainous area [3][4][5]. Numerous authors have shown the relationships between ecosystem structure and composition and topographic features, such as elevation, slope angle, aspect and indices of relative moisture based on potential solar radiation and topographic redistribution of precipitation [6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The spatial distribution pattern of mountainous vegetation is the result of complex interactions between natural processes and human influences [4,35]. Besides the topography as such human disturbance factors are also a key factor influencing distribution of vegetation types [36][37][38][39].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of Satellite Imagery, Topography and Human Disturbance Factors Based on Canonical Correspondence Analysis Ordination for Mountain Vegetation Mapping: A Case Study in Yunnan, China

Zhang

Coillie

et al. 2014

Remote Sensing

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Abstract:The integration between vegetation data, human disturbance factors, and geo-spatial data (Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and image data) is a particular challenge for vegetation mapping in mountainous areas. The present study aimed to incorporate the relationships between species distribution (or vegetation spatial distribution pattern) and topography and human disturbance factors with remote sensing data, to improve the accuracy of mountain vegetation maps. Two different mountainous areas located in Lancang (Mekong) watershed served as study sites. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) architecture classification was used as image classification protocol. In addition, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) ordination was applied to address the relationships between topography and human disturbance factors with the spatial distribution of vegetation patterns. We used ordinary kriging at unobserved locations to predict the CCA scores. The CCA ordination results showed that the vegetation spatial distribution patterns are strongly affected by topography and human disturbance factors. The overall accuracy of vegetation classification was significantly improved by incorporating DEM or four CCA axes as additional channels in both the northern and southern study areas. However, there was no significant difference between using DEM or four CCA axes as extra channels in OPEN ACCESSRemote Sens. 2014, 6 1027 the northern steep mountainous areas because of a strong redundancy between CCA axes and DEM data. In the southern lower mountainous areas, the accuracy was significantly higher using four CCA axes as extra bands, compared to using DEM as an extra band. In the southern study area, the variance of vegetation data explained by human disturbance factors was larger than the variance explained by topographic attributes.

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Topographic controls on the spatial distribution of ground cover in the Tabernas badlands of SE Spain

Cited by 136 publications

References 45 publications

Dynamics of organic carbon losses by water erosion after biocrust removal

Dynamics of organic carbon losses by water erosion after biocrust removal

The fate of seeds in the soil: a review of the influence of overland flow on seed removal and its consequences for the vegetation of arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems

Integration of Satellite Imagery, Topography and Human Disturbance Factors Based on Canonical Correspondence Analysis Ordination for Mountain Vegetation Mapping: A Case Study in Yunnan, China

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