Ökosystemfunktionen in submediterranen Regionen: Die funktionelle Barriere zwischen Mediterranen und Eurosibirischen Waldgemeinschaften
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
The Iberian Peninsula covers about 20% of the surface area of the Mediterranean region and is one of the largest boundaries between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian vegetation (known as the sub-Mediterranean zone). Many plant communities located along this border are subject to climatic peculiarities between the Mediterranean and Eurosiberian biogeographical regions and are referred to as sub-Mediterranean. These particularities make the sub-Mediterranean region an ideal scenario to test community assembly processes and mechanisms of species coexistence in transitional areas. In the present project, we focused on three main objectives: (I) To identify the processes that drive community assembly, both in woody and grassland communities, and ecosystem functions in one of the most important "biodiversity hotspots" of Europe; (II) To develop time series on the sub-Mediterranean forest and mechanistic models to predict community responses to future scenarios of climate change; (III) To develop synthesis articles based on long datasets that evaluate how plant strategies linked to an efficient use of water are associated with nutrient and carbon use strategies. Overall, we observed that different assembly mechanisms govern the structure of Mediterranean, Eurosiberian and Mixed plant communities, with a high number of strategies along the acquisitive-conservative axis of resource use, partly consistent with their Eurosiberian-Mediterranean nature. Moreover, the results showed that in this sub-Mediterranean ecotone, herbaceous communities are segregated according to their biogeographic origin (Mediterranean vs. Eurosiberian), suggesting that the first mechanism of herbaceous species segregation is also related to environmental suitability. We also found that local conditions, such as edaphic factors and the presence of forest edges and open areas, can influence the structure and composition of herbaceous plant communities at small spatial scales. Therefore, we urge conservationists and managers to take this into account when planning management activities in semi-natural habitats. Overall, we highlighted that silvicultural practices should be oriented to promote diverse forest formations that provide multiple ecosystem services, such as the maintenance of different microsites that it will enhance suitable regeneration niches for both species, promoting their future coexistence. Our results allow to integrate information on the patterns of coexistence of Mediterranean and Eurosiberian species, which will help to identify forest dynamics imbalances, allowing decision-makers to develop appropriate forest management plans to prevent or mitigate the negative effects of climate change in this region. We propose the creation of a heterogeneous environment combining forest patches with open areas to maximize the biodiversity and functionality of both meadows and forests.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
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The Economics Spectrum Drives Root Trait Strategies in Mediterranean Vegetation. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12.
de la Riva Enrique, G.; Querejeta, José Ignacio; Villar, Rafael; Pérez-Ramos, Ignacio M.; Marañón, Teodoro; Galán, Díaz Javier; de Tomás, Marín Sergio & Prieto, Iván
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The Economics Spectrum Drives Root Trait Strategies in Mediterranean Vegetation. XV Congreso Nacional de la AEET. 2021
de la Riva E.G., Querejeta J.I., Villar R., Pérez-Ramos I.M., Marañón T., Galán Díaz J., de Tomás Marín S. & Prieto I.
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The functional structure of sub-mediterranean plant communities under the threat of global change. XV Congreso Nacional de la AEET. 2021
Tomás Marín S., de la Riva E.G., Rodríguez-Calcerrada, J., Prieto, I. & González, J.
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Fagus sylvatica and Quercus pyrenaica: Two neighbors with few things in common. Forest Ecosystems, 10, 100097.
de Tomás, Marín Sergio; Rodríguez-Calcerrada, Jesús; Arenas-Castro, Salvador; Prieto, Iván; González, Guillermo; Gil, Luis & de la Riva Enrique, G.
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Linking functional composition moments of the sub-Mediterranean ecotone with environmental drivers. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14.
de Tomás, Marín Sergio; Galán, Díaz Javier; Rodríguez-Calcerrada, Jesús; Prieto, Iván & de la Riva Enrique, G.
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Living at the edge: the functional niche occupation of woody plant communities in the submediterranean ecotone. Annals of Botany, 132(3), 471-484.
de la Riva, Enrique G.; Prieto, Iván; de Tomás, Marín Sergio; Rodríguez-Calcerrada, Jesús; Golabvand, Pardis & Galán, Díaz Javier
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Trait-environmental relationships and community assembly in a sub- Mediterranean forest of Central Spain. 52nd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 2023
de Tomás Marín, S., Galán Díaz, J., Rodríguez-Calcerrada, J., Gordaliza, J., Prieto, I. & de la Riva, E.G.
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Trait-environmental relationships and community assembly in a Sub- Mediterranean forest of Central Spain. XVI Congreso Nacional de la AEET. 2023
de Tomás Marín, S., Galán Díaz, J., Rodríguez-Calcerrada, J., Gordaliza, J., Prieto, I. & de la Riva, E.G.
