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- ItemOpen AccessModelling the effectivity of a land sparing strategy to preserve an endangered steppe-land bird population in cereal farmland: Scopes and limits(Elsevier, 2023) Mañosa, Santi; Bota, GerardAgricultural intensification and the disappearance of fallow land have been identified as a major driver of biodiversity loss in European farmland. In particular, the dramatic population decline of the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax), a flagship bird species in western European cereal farmland, has been largely attributed to the loss of this crucial habitat. Demographic modelling showed that low breeding success and reduced female survival were co-responsible for the little bustard population decline in a NE Iberian cereal pseudo-steppe. An equilibrium finite rate of change can be achieved by raising either female adult survival or fecundity. In both cases, the required increases fall within a biological meaningful range, but a combination of both would be more feasible in practice. Setting farmland aside as managed fallow can boost fecundity to the required equilibrium value, but the potential of this management action is seriously reduced as mortality increases. Socio-economically acceptable amounts of spared-land can only be achieved if actions to reduce mortality are undertaken in combination with providing fallow land. Actions to reduce both natural and anthropogenic mortality have so far been neglected by little bustard conservation programs. Both are needed if we seek to guarantee the long-term viability of the species and an acceptable share of conservation effort from stakeholders. Our results show that the holistic adaptive management approach adopted here can be used to evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of conservation decisions and to provide insights for conservation projects.
- ItemEmbargoPhylogeography and climate shape the quantitative genetic landscape and range-wide plasticity of a prevalent conifer(Ecological Society of America, 2023) Voltas Velasco, Jordi; Amigó, Ramon; Shestakova, Tatiana A.; Matteo, Giovanni; Díaz, Raquel; Zas, RafaelThe contribution of genetic adaptation and plasticity to intraspecific phenotypic variability remains insufficiently studied in long-lived plants, as well as the relevance of neutral versusadaptive processes determining such divergence. We examined the importance of phylogeographic structure and climate modulating genetic and plastic changes and their interdependence in fitness-related traits of a widespread Mediterranean conifer(Pinus pinaster). Four marker-based, previously defined neutral classifications along with two ad hoc climate-based categorizations of 123 range-wide populations were analyzed for their capacity to summarize genetic and plastic effects of height growth and survival (age 20) in 15 common gardens. Plasticity of tree height and differential survival were interpreted through mixed modeling accounting for heteroscedasticity in the genotype-by-environment dataset. The analysis revealed a slight superiority of phylogeographic classifications over climate categorizations on the explanation of genetic and plastic effects, which suggests that neutral processes can be at least as important as isolation by climate as driving factor of evolutionary divergence in a prevalent pine. The best phylogeographic classification involved eight geographically discrete genetic groups which explained 92% (height) and 52% (survival) of phenotypic variability, including between-group mean differentiation and differential expression across trials. For height growth, there was predictability of plastic group responses described by different reaction norm slopes, which were unrelated to between-group mean differentiation. The latter differences (amounting to ca. 40% among groups) dominated intraspecific performance across trials. Local adaptation was evident for genetic groups tested in their native environments in terms of tree height and, especially, survival. This finding was supported by QST > FST estimates. Additionally, our range-wide evaluation did not support a general adaptive syndrome by which less reactive groups to ameliorated conditions would be associated with high survival and low growth. In fact, a lack of relationship between mean group differentiation, indicative of genetic adaptation, and predictable group plasticity for height growth suggests different evolutionary trajectories of these mechanisms of phenotypic divergence. Altogether, the existence of predictable adaptive-trait phenotypic variation for the species, involving both genetic differentiation and plastic effects, should facilitate integrating genomics and environment into decision-making tools to assist forests to cope with climate change.
- ItemOpen AccessPlant–soil feedbacks among boreal forest species(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2023) Štraus, Dora; Redondo, Miguel Ángel; Castaño, Carles; Juhanson, Jaanis c; Clemmensen, Karina E.; Hallin, Sara; Oliva Palau, JonàsPlant–microbial interactions in soils are considered to play a central role in regulating biodiversity in many global ecosystems. However, studies on plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) and how these affect forest stand patterns in boreal regions are rare. We conducted a fully reciprocal PSF glasshouse experiment using four boreal tree species. Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris seedlings were grown under controlled conditions in sterilised soil with or without soil inoculum collected under mature trees of each of the four species. Bacterial, fungal and oomycete communities in the rhizosphere were investigated using metabarcoding and correlated with differences in plant biomass. Alder grew best in conspecific soil, whereas birch grew equally well in all soil types. Pine and spruce grew best in heterospecific soil, particularly in soil from their successional predecessor. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) enhanced the growth of most seedlings, and Actinomycetota supported alder and birch growth and fungal plant pathogens hampered pine growth. Increased growth was linked to the ability of trees to recruit specific EMF and root-associated fungi in heterospecific soils. Synthesis. This study experimentally examines the influence of root-associated microbiota on the growth of boreal tree species. The observed plant–soil feedbacks mirror the successional patterns found in boreal forests, suggesting a possible contribution of soil microbiota to the successional progression. Species-specific ectomycorrhizal fungi and a few bacteria rather than fungal plant pathogens or oomycetes seem to drive the feedbacks by promoting seedling growth in heterospecific soils.
- ItemOpen AccessIntegrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential(Springer Nature Limited, 2023) Mo, Lidong; Zohner, Constantin M.; Reich, Peter B.; Liang, Jingjing; Miguel Magaña, Sergio de; Nabuurs, Gert-Jan; Renner, Susanne S.; Hoogen, Johan van den; Araza, Arnan; Herold, MartinForests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system1. Remote-sensing estimates to quantify carbon losses from global forests2,3,4,5 are characterized by considerable uncertainty and we lack a comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation to benchmark these estimates. Here we combine several ground-sourced6 and satellite-derived approaches2,7,8 to evaluate the scale of the global forest carbon potential outside agricultural and urban lands. Despite regional variation, the predictions demonstrated remarkable consistency at a global scale, with only a 12% difference between the ground-sourced and satellite-derived estimates. At present, global forest carbon storage is markedly under the natural potential, with a total deficit of 226 Gt (model range = 151–363 Gt) in areas with low human footprint. Most (61%, 139 Gt C) of this potential is in areas with existing forests, in which ecosystem protection can allow forests to recover to maturity. The remaining 39% (87 Gt C) of potential lies in regions in which forests have been removed or fragmented. Although forests cannot be a substitute for emissions reductions, our results support the idea2,3,9 that the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of diverse forests offer valuable contributions to meeting global climate and biodiversity targets.
- ItemOpen AccessAre agroforestry systems more productive than monocultures in Mediterranean countries? A meta‑analysis(Springer, 2023) Scordia, Danilo; Corinzia, Sebastiano Andrea; Coello, Jaime; Vilaplana Ventura, Rosa; Jiménez De Santiago, Diana Elisa; Singla Just, Berta; Castaño Sánchez, Omar; Casas Arcarons, Carme; Tchamitchian, Marc; Garreau, Léa; Emran, Mohamed; Mohamed, Sami Z.; Khedr, Mai; Rashad, Mohamed; Lorilla, Roxanne Suzette; Parizel, Alexandre; Mancini, Giuseppe; Iurato, Antonella; Ponsá, Sergio; Dimauro, Corrado; Gresta, Fabio; Cosentino, Luciano; Testa, GiorgioAgroforestry is gaining interest due to its potential in enhancing climate resilience and sustainability of farming systems. In this meta-analysis, the crop yield in agroforestry system compared to the control (sole crop) from thirty-six experimental feld trials in Mediterranean countries was assessed. The response variable Wlog(RR) (i.e., the weighted natural logarithm of the response ratio) was analyzed by the 95% confdence intervals of mean and by ftting eight linear mixed models. Fixed efects, namely the tree cover (low, medium, high), the tree species (ash tree, chestnut, cork oak, holm oak, olive, poplar, walnut), and the crop species (alfalfa, barley, durum wheat, faba bean, forage, oat, pasture, pea, winter wheat) were signifcant (P = 0.030, P = 0.017, and P = 0.014, respectively), while the system type (alley cropping, silvo-arable, silvo-pastoral) was not. Among management practices (variety, pruning, fertilization, irrigation, crop age classes, imposed warming and drought, harvest time), only the fertilization signifcantly improved the response variable (P = 0.006), while the interaction of pruning × crop species was marginally signifcant (P = 0.065). Relatively large study heterogeneity was observed (Q = 72.6, I2 = 72%), which is quite common for agronomic meta-analysis. On the contrary, publication bias based on funnel plots and the Trim and Fill method suggested symmetrical distribution of studies. The sensitivity analysis for signifcant models identifed room for improvements. Overall, we observed a negative efect of trees on crop yield that could be ascribed to the competition for light. Nonetheless, facilitation could be expected under extreme climate events, provided that agricultural practices will maximize synergies among tree cover, tree species, crop species, and management. Future works are encouraged to focus on the overall beneft agroforestry can provide at the feld and landscape level, along with long-term monitoring to assess the whole lifespan of these systems and other companion planting options and designs in the Mediterranean region.
