Habitat use by large and small herbivores in a fluctuating Mediterranean ecosystem: Implications of seasonal changes

Rueda, Marta Pacheco; Rebollo, Salvador; Gálvez-Bravo, L.; Escudero, Adrián

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.03.006

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…We do not attempt to illustrate them all here, but shrub encroachment impacts are varied and numerous, and their valuation depends upon the human culture which perceives it. In the Mediterranean, the primary current use of Stipa grasslands is either hunting of small game, which tends to be enhanced by shrub cover (Rueda et al. 2008), or livestock production.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi‐arid Mediterranean grasslands

et al. 2009

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The worldwide phenomenon of shrub encroachment in grass-dominated dryland ecosystems is commonly associated with desertification. Studies of the purported desertification effects associated with shrub encroachment are often restricted to relatively few study areas, and document a narrow range of possible impacts upon biota and ecosystem processes. We conducted a study in degraded Mediterranean grasslands dominated by Stipa tenacissima to simultaneously evaluate the effects of shrub encroachment on the structure and composition of multiple biotic community components, and on various indicators of ecosystem function. Shrub encroachment enhanced vascular plant richness, biomass of fungi, actinomycetes and other bacteria, and was linked with greater soil fertility and N mineralization rates. While shrub encroachment may be a widespread phenomenon in drylands, an interpretation that this is an expression of desertification is not universal. Our results suggest that shrub establishment may be an important step in the reversal of desertification processes in the Mediterranean region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi‐arid Mediterranean grasslands

et al. 2009

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“…Surprisingly, seedling responses to microhabitat heterogeneity was substantially different in the other block (block A). It is also known that grazing mammals vary considerably in their use of habitat at relatively large scales (Rueda et al 2008), which could explain why the incidence of sheep grazing on these two blocks which are close spatially is so different. This difference in the microhabitat-seedling response between blocks may be related to a differential pressure from grazing which is mainly associated with trampling.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does habitat structure matter? Spatially explicit population modelling of an Iberian gypsum endemic

et al. 2009

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Habitat heterogeneity may influence plant demography because conditions for survival, growth, and reproduction vary within a species' range. We assessed the role of microhabitat spatial structure on the demography of Helianthemum squamatum, a shrubby gypsum specialist endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. We evaluated the demographic effect of microhabitat spatial variation using an approach that combined cellular automata with matrix population models, and included environmental and demographic stochasticty. We collected data on seed bank (2003)(2004)(2005), seedling emergence (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006), and adult survivorship (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007) for H. squamatum in two independent blocks with different grazing intensity in Belinchón (Cuenca, Spain). We built spatial scenarios for each block based on field data of cover and spatial pattern of four microhabitats: lichenic crust, litter, H. squamatum, and shrub. Seedling survivorship was affected by year, block, and microhabitat, with individuals emerging under conspecifics having the highest survival rate and on litter the lowest in both blocks, whereas the effect of crust and other shrubs differed across blocks. Our models indicated population increase in the block with low grazing, but population decline in the block with intense grazing. We hypothesize that higher pressure of livestock grazing and trampling leads to a shift in relative microhabitat suitability for crust and shrub. This potential effect of grazing on spatial demographic variation opens interesting questions for future research. We emphasize the importance of considering microhabitat spatial structure when evaluating management and conservation strategies.

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“…Flexibility in foraging is a typical response of herbivores to cope with seasonal differences in food availability and quality in the Mediterranean (Rueda et al 2008). Mammals such as the brown hare (hereafter hare) have higher genetic diversity (Antoniou et al 2013), a longer reproductive period (Antoniou et al 2008), and a more diverse diet (Kontsiotis et al 2011) in the Mediterranean than in more northern ecosystems of its distribution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet adaptability by a generalist herbivore: the case of brown hare in a Mediterranean agroecosystem

2015

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Background: Brown hares (Lepus europaeus) were collected before and after autumn rains from a mixed farmland and scrubland area. The age and sex of each specimen were determined, and microhistological technique was applied to analyze the stomach contents. Results: Hares consumed a higher number of plant species in comparison with other studies in continental European farmlands. A different pattern in diet of hare was found, where from a partial herbivory, frugivory, and granivory during the dry period, hares turn to primarily herbivory during the wet period. An expansion of diet breadth and an increase in food consumption was found in the dry season. Farming contributes to the enrichment of diet especially during the dry season. Diet composition was differed between ages, but no significant difference was found between the two sexes.

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Habitat use by large and small herbivores in a fluctuating Mediterranean ecosystem: Implications of seasonal changes

Cited by 24 publications

References 42 publications

Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi‐arid Mediterranean grasslands

Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi‐arid Mediterranean grasslands

Does habitat structure matter? Spatially explicit population modelling of an Iberian gypsum endemic

Diet adaptability by a generalist herbivore: the case of brown hare in a Mediterranean agroecosystem

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