Which Factors Favour Biodiversity in Iberian Dehesas?

Rodríguez‐Rojo, Maria Pilar; Roig, Sònia; López-Carrasco, C.; García, Miguel Aurelio Alonso; Sánchez‐Mata, Daniel

doi:10.3390/su14042345

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…In many situations, 'tree-pasture' silvopastoral trees can become 'islands of fertility' [1][2][3], build soil organic matter [3][4][5], conserve soil moisture [6,7] and improve soil structure [8,9]. Moreover, silvopastoral systems can be carbon sinks in terms of above and below ground biomass and potential increases to soil carbon [10,11], improve the local agricultural microclimate [5,12], provide shelter and shade to livestock [13][14][15] and provide habitats to local bird populations [16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

et al. 2022

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‘Tree-pasture’ silvopastoral systems have the potential to become transformative multifunctional landscapes that add both environmental and economic value to pastoral farms. Nevertheless, no published study has found increased pasture production under mature silvopastoral trees in New Zealand hill country. This study takes a novel approach to silvopastoral research in New Zealand, and investigates a genus that has similar bio-physical attributes to other global silvopastoral trees that have been shown to increase pasture production under their canopies, with the aim of finding a silvopastoral genera that can increase pasture production under tree canopies compared to open pasture in New Zealand. This study measures pasture and soil variables in two pasture positions: under individually spaced native kānuka (Kunzea spp.) trees (kānuka pasture) and paired open pasture positions at least 15 m from tree trunks (open pasture) at two sites over two years. There was 107.9% more pasture production in kānuka pasture positions. The soil variables that were significantly greater in kānuka pasture were Olsen-P (+115.7%, p < 0.001), K (+100%, p < 0.001), Mg (+33.33%, p < 0.01), Na (+200%, p < 0.001) and porosity (+8.8%, p < 0.05), and Olsen-P, porosity and K best explained the variation between kānuka pasture and open pasture positions. Volumetric soil moisture was statistically similar in kānuka pasture and open pasture positions. These results are evidence of nutrient transfer by livestock to the tree-pasture environment. Furthermore, as there was a significantly greater porosity and 48.6% more organic matter under the trees, there were likely other processes also contributing to the difference between tree and open pasture environments, such as litterfall. These results show that kānuka has potential to increase pasture production in New Zealand hill country farms and create multifunctional landscapes enhancing both production and environmental outcomes in pastoral farms.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

et al. 2022

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“…Holm oak samples were taken in a "dehesa", a unique ecosystem in the Iberian Peninsula that has been modified by man to simultaneously obtain livestock and non-timber forest resources. This makes dehesas an ecosystem with particularly high biodiversity (Moreno et al, 2016;Rodríguez-Rojo et al, 2022), so it is not surprising that there is also a high viral diversity that has never been investigated. Some of the viral families have been found to be ubiquitous across sample types and habitats, which could be interpreted as a first indication of their cross-kingdom potential.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of RNA viruses in declining Mediterranean forests

Diez-Hermano,

Pérez-Alonso,

Morell

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Global change alters forestry habitats and facilitates the entry of new pathogens that don’t share a co-evolution history with the forest, leading them into a spiral of decline. As a result, relationships between forests’ organisms get disbalanced. Under this scenario, RNA viruses are of particular interest, as they participate in many of such relationships thanks to their ability to infect a wide range of hosts, even from different kingdoms of life. For this reason, the study of RNA viruses is essential to understand how viral flow across different hosts might occur, and to prevent possible outbreaks of diseases in the future. In this work the RNA virus diversity found in trees, arthropods and fungi from declining Mediterranean forests is described. To this extent, three habitats (Quercus ilex, Castanea sativaandPinus radiata) were sampled and RNAseq was performed on tree tissues, arthropods and fungi. 146 viral sequences were detected by searching for matches to conserved motifs of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) using Palmscan. Up to 15 viral families were identified, with Botourmiaviridae (28.7%) and Partitiviridae (9.6%) being the most abundant. In terms of genome type, ssRNA(+) viruses were the most represented (83.5%), followed by dsRNA (15%) and two ssRNA(-) representatives. Viruses belonging to families with cross-kingdom capabilities such as Hypoviridae (1), Mitoviridae (6) and Narnaviridae (5) were also found. Distribution of viruses across ecosystems was:Q.ilex(57.5%),P.radiata(26.7%) andC.sativa(15.8%). Interestingly, two RdRP sequences had no matches in available viral databases. This work constitutes a starting point to gain insight into virus evolution and diversity occurring in forests affected by decline, as well as searching for novel viruses that might be participating in unknown infectious pathways.

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“…Shrub rows create shade and also windbreak, which reduces soil evaporation and plant evapotranspiration. Furthermore, shrub rows have a beneficial effect on biodiversity and conservation by increasing structural diversity and a heterogeneous mosaic in the landscape, which creates shelter, protection and a habitat for wildlife [47,62].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using and Creating Microclimates for Cork Oak Adaptation to Climate Change

Vizinho

Príncipe

Vasconcelos

et al. 2023

Land

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In Mediterranean climate regions, climate change is increasing aridity and contributing to the mortality rate of Quercus suber, reducing the success of reforestation efforts. Using and creating microclimates is a recommended climate adaptation strategy that needs research. Our hypothesis is that planting Q. suber in north-facing slopes and water lines results in a higher survival rate than those that are planted in ridges and south-facing slopes. Secondly, our hypothesis is that existing shrubs (in this case, Cistus ladanifer) can be used to create microclimatic sheltering and increase the survival of Q. suber plantations. In experiment 1, we tested the survival of Q. suber plantations in four different topographic conditions. For that, 80 Q. suber plants were planted over four different topographic conditions, where soil probes were installed to monitor soil moisture and temperature. Two years after, the results show an increased survival rate in the north-facing slope and water line when compared to the ridge area (p = 0.032). In experiment 2, we tested if planting in the shade of rows of C. ladanifer increases the survival rate of Q. suber plantations. For that, 1200 Q. suber plants were planted; 600 in a Montado open area with no shade and 600 under the shade of rows of C. ladanifer shrubs. A total of 17 months after plantation, there was a significantly higher survival rate of the shaded plants (p = 0.027). We conclude that microclimates created by topography and shrubs can have a significant impact on the survival of Q. suber plantations and discuss the situations in which these can apply.

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Which Factors Favour Biodiversity in Iberian Dehesas?

Cited by 11 publications

References 90 publications

Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

Diversity of RNA viruses in declining Mediterranean forests

Using and Creating Microclimates for Cork Oak Adaptation to Climate Change

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