Size structure and regeneration of Spanish holm oak Quercus ilex forests and dehesas: effects of agroforestry use on their long-term sustainability

Pulido, Fernando; Dı́az, Mario; Trucios, S. J. Hidalgo de

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00443-6

Cited by 227 publications

(186 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…All the Montado LLU (71 units) are on Pyro bourgaeanae-Querco rotundifoliae S. (Secundarious) and Sanguisorbo hybridae-Querco suberis S., which corresponds to the human transformation of autochthonous holm oak and cork oak forests by tree and shrub clearing and also by land ploughing to maintain open areas for livestock grazing, which leads to a unique type of wood pasture, the Spanish dehesas and Portuguese montados (Pulido, Diaz and Hidalgo De Trucios 2001).…”

Section: Acta Botanica Gallica: Botany Letters 173mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution to Local Landscape Units definition in OTALEX II

Batista¹,

Mendes²,

Vila-Viçosa³

et al. 2012

Acta Botanica Gallica

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Section: Acta Botanica Gallica: Botany Letters 173mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution to Local Landscape Units definition in OTALEX II

Batista¹,

Mendes²,

Vila-Viçosa³

et al. 2012

Acta Botanica Gallica

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“…Coppice originated from firewood exploitation is common in the steepest slopes and shallowest soils, and now plays and essential role for wildlife and game species. The ecosystem is in great danger as a result of the changing social and economic structure (Pinto-Correia, 1993;San Miguel, 1994;Gómez-Limón and de Lucío, 1999) and the almost absolute lack of tree regeneration in most stands (Pulido et al, 2001;Leiva and Fernández-Alés, 2003;Pulido et al, 2005). Lack of regeneration is one of the greatest problems of the ecosystem and is likely to become more problematic in the climate change scenarios expected for Mediterranean regions.…”

Section: The Holm Oak and Iberian Dehesas: A Mediterranean Anthropicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acorn production in Spanish holm oak woodlands

2006

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We present a review on the state-of-the-art of fruit prodution in Western Iberia woodlands («dehesas»), and particularly in Q. ilex (holm oak) «dehesas». This threatened ecosystem is of very high ecological and economical importance. Quercus sp. fruits (acorns) are essential for wildlife, and for pig fattening in «dehesas». In the first part of this review we briefly describe the phenology of the holm oak and the factors affecting acorn morphology and chemical composition.In the second half we analyze the main known factors reported in the literature that determine acorn production: pruning, stand characteristics, and site (weather and soil). We make several suggestions to improve future research and detect the existing gaps in the undertanding of acorn production.Fruit production is highly variable, both between and within years and individuals. The mean production in «dehesas» (mean density circa 50 trees/ha) is around 250-600 kg/ha (≈100 g/canopy-m 2 , CV > 100%). Acorn morphology is also very variable, with mean sound acorn size around 3.5 × 1.6 cm, CV ≈ 10% (3.5 g/acorn, CV > 50%). Silviculture plays an essential role in acorn production. Acorn production per tree seems to be negatively related to density. The effect of pruning is less clear: production seems to be reduced in the first and second years after pruning. After the third year it is not possible to discern from the literature whether there is any response to pruning or not. Weather and soil (site) also impact production and their effects should be explored in future management. The influence of genetics is unknown and should also be addressed. Longer data series are necessary. The dasometric features of the stands need to be characterized, in order to better understand production and compare results from different locations. Much research is still required to understand the functioning of fruiting in these woodlands.Key words: Quercus ilex, holm oak, acorn, fruit production, dehesa, agrosilvopastoral systems. Resumen Producción de bellota en las dehesas españolas de encinaEl alto interés ecológico y económico de la producción de fruto en las dehesas ibéricas, concretamente las de encina (Quercus ilex), nos ha movido a realizar una revisión del estado actual de conocimientos. Los frutos (bellotas) de Quercus sp. resultan esenciales para la fauna salvaje y el engorde de ganado porcino en las dehesas. En la primera parte de este trabajo se describen brevemente las características fenológicas de la especie, así como los factores que influyen en la variabilidad morfológica y la composición bromatológica del fruto. En la segunda parte se analizan los factores fundamentales estudiados en la bibliografía que determinan la producción: la poda, las características dasométricas (densidad y distribución diamétrica) y la influencia del sitio (suelo y clima). Se realizan sugerencias para mejorar futuras líneas de trabajo, así como se subrayan áreas de conocimiento deficitarias.La producción es muy variable tanto intra-como interanualmente. La producció...

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“…Long-term human management has included combinations of clearing, livestock grazing, and ploughing for agriculture cultivation (Joffre et al 1999;Pulido et al 2001). During the 1960s socio-economic changes (industrialization, immigration to cities, emigration, and opening of international markets) led to rural exodus and a gradual abandonment of crops and pastures (Joffre et al 1991;Pinto-Correia 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are drought and wildfires turning Mediterranean cork oak forests into persistent shrublands?

Acácio¹,

Holmgren²,

Rego³

et al. 2008

Agroforestry for Commodity Production: Ecological and Social Dimensions

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In the Iberian Peninsula Mediterranean oak forests have been transformed into a mosaic landscape of four main patch-types: forests, savannas, shrublands and grasslands. We used aerial photographs over a period of 45 years to quantify the persistence and rates of transitions between vegetation patch-types in southern Portugal, where cork oak is the dominant tree species. We used logistic regression to relate vegetation changes with topographical features and wildfire history. Over the 45 years, shrublands have been the most persistent patch-type (59%), and have been expanding; forests are also persistent (55%) but have been decreasing since 1985; savannas and grasslands were less persistent (33% and 15%, respectively). Shrublands persistence was significantly correlated with wildfire occurrence, particularly on southern exposures after 1995. In contrast, forest persistence decreased with wildfire occurrence, and forests were more likely to change into shrublands where wildfire had occurred after 1995.

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Size structure and regeneration of Spanish holm oak Quercus ilex forests and dehesas: effects of agroforestry use on their long-term sustainability

Cited by 227 publications

References 25 publications

Contribution to Local Landscape Units definition in OTALEX II

Contribution to Local Landscape Units definition in OTALEX II

Acorn production in Spanish holm oak woodlands

Are drought and wildfires turning Mediterranean cork oak forests into persistent shrublands?

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