Bridging the gap between ecological succession of fleshy-fruited shrubs and restoration frameworks in semiarid oldfields

• Autores: Amodeo, Martín Raúl; Martínez López, Vicente; Zapata Pérez, Víctor; Robledano Aymerich, Francisco
• Año de publicación: 2024
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Oldfields; Ecological succession; Fleshy-fruited shrubs; Nature-based restoration frameworks
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Abandoned agricultural areas (i.e. oldfields) represent an opportunity for natural vegetation recovery, increasing soil carbon sequestration and lessening the impacts of climate change and desertification. Ecological succession in oldfields can be hampered by the harsh conditions of semiarid and arid ecosystems, and hence, restoration actions may be needed in some contexts to reactivate the ecosystem functioning. Fleshy-fruited shrubs are indicators of progression in the ecological succession, which can shift notably across environmental gradients, making difficult to obtain robust conclusions at regional scales. Other poorly studied aspects at such scales (agricultural legacy, structural features and local landscape effects) add to this knowledge gap. Here, we study the species-specific natural colonization patterns of fleshy-fruited shrubs in semiarid oldfields across environmental gradients in the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula taking into account specific traits of plants. We used Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) to test the influence of the time since the abandonment and the past land-use history of the oldfields, and the effect of local structural factors, such as the presence of remnant trees and natural patches of vegetation, on the shrub recolonization patterns. We found that altitude and lithology conditioned the structure of shrub communities, allowing the selection of different focal species for making recommendations for restoration. Time since abandonment was not relevant for the colonization process. The persistence of remnant trees in the oldfields showed a positive effect on the occurrence of several shrub species. Close sources of propagules (terrace edges and/or natural vegetation patches) benefited the occurrence of certain species mainly at lower altitudes. Traits of species (growth form, root depth, dispersal mode, fruit length and water content) helped to explain the performance of species along the environmental gradients. We identified the main drivers of natural colonization of fleshy-fruited shrubs in semiarid oldfields across environmental gradients, providing ecological knowledge to guide scientists and practitioners to develop nature-based restoration frameworks. Different management actions are recommended according to the environmental gradient.
Fil: Amodeo, Martín Raúl. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Grupo de Estudios en Conservación y Manejo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina
Fil: Martínez López, Vicente. Universidad de Murcia; España
Fil: Zapata Pérez, Víctor. Universidad de Murcia; España
Fil: Robledano Aymerich, Francisco. Universidad de Murcia; España