Ungulates and ecosystem services in Mediterranean woody systems: A semi-quantitative review

Velamazán, Mario; Perea, Ramón; Bugalho, Miguel N.

doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125837

Cited by 24 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…One of the main methods for preventing wildfire is to reduce the fuel load and continuity of forest stands (by shrub clearing, pruning or thinning), using either mechanical means or prescribed burning [3]. However, livestock grazing represents a less aggressive and/or expensive alternative for controlling shrub encroachment in order to reduce the risk of forest fires [4][5][6]. In some parts of the world, firebreaks in the vegetation are already maintained by controlled grazing, and prevention of forest fires by grazing is a well-acknowledged regulating ecosystem service [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, livestock grazing represents a less aggressive and/or expensive alternative for controlling shrub encroachment in order to reduce the risk of forest fires [4][5][6]. In some parts of the world, firebreaks in the vegetation are already maintained by controlled grazing, and prevention of forest fires by grazing is a well-acknowledged regulating ecosystem service [6,7]. Practices such as grazing combined with prescribed burning and/or mechanical treatments (thinning and shrub clearance/removal) to prevent fuel accumulation are beginning to show excellent results and have the added advantage of providing several positive externalities for rural livelihoods and the environment that contribute to sustainable rural development [6,8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can Shrub Flammability be Affected by Goat Grazing? Flammability Parameters of Mediterranean Shrub Species under Grazing

et al. 2021

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In this study, we evaluated changes in the potential flammability of different Mediterranean shrub species in a pine (Pinus pinea) forest in the Doñana Natural Park (of SW Spain) as a result of goat grazing. Plant height, total biomass, fine fuel biomass and leaves/wood ratio were measured in individual plants of each species in both grazed and ungrazed areas. Moisture content, mean time of ignition, mean time of combustion, gross heat of combustion (GHC) and flammability class of the studied shrub species were determined in the laboratory. The results of this experiment showed that grazing influenced the flammability characteristics of the studied shrub species. However, the strength of this effect was insufficient to modify the flammability index of these plants, except in the case of Myrtus communis, in which grazed plants presented a lower flammability index. According to Valette’s classification, Cistus salviifolius, Halimium halimifolium and Pistacea lentiscus are flammable species, Rosmarinus officinalis is a flammable-highly flammable species, and M. communis is non-flammable. The GHC values obtained were generally “intermediate”, except for those of R. officinalis, which were classified as “high”. The flammability parameters of the study species did not show a very marked trend in relation to grazing, but the vertical structure of plants did change by presenting reduced biomass of leaves and fine twigs. This change altered the physical characteristics of these plants and possibly acted to reduce the inherent fire risk of the shrublands.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Shrub Flammability be Affected by Goat Grazing? Flammability Parameters of Mediterranean Shrub Species under Grazing

et al. 2021

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“…Most plant–frugivore interactions involve both benefits and costs for plants (Fedriani and Delibes 2011, Dracxler and Kissling 2022, van Leeuwen et al 2022). Ungulates, specifically, are well known to cause devastating effects on native flora (Nuñez et al 2010, Pisanu et al 2012), but they also play a key role as long‐distance seed dispersers (Eycott et al 2007, Jaroszewicz et al 2013, Albert et al 2015, Pellerin et al 2016) and provide other benefits such as wildfire preservation (Gizicki et al 2018, Valente et al 2020, Velamazán et al 2020). Overall, our results support the intermediate disturbance hypothesis which postulates that intermediate levels of disturbance maintain a higher diversity than low and high levels (Connell 1978, Zunzunegui et al 2012, Lázaro et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From seed dispersal service to reproductive collapse: density‐dependent outcome of a palm–mammal interaction

Muñoz-Gallego

Wiegand

Traveset

et al. 2023

Oikos

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Interspecific ecological interactions are inherently context‐dependent. They may vary in both magnitude and sign depending on the biotic and abiotic conditions, depicting a mutualism–antagonism continuum. However, how population abundances and the activity of interacting species modulate these interactions remains underexplored. Here, we chose the interaction between the Mediterranean palm Chamaerops humilis and the feral goat Capra hircus in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). We selected three study plots with low, intermediate and high intensities of goat activity where we characterized palm distribution, seed rain, seed predation and early palm recruitment during two consecutive years. Since goats can cause both costs (e.g. florivory) and benefits (e.g. seed dispersal) to C. humilis performance, we investigated the following three questions: 1) does the spatial distribution of adult palms vary depending on the intensity of goat activity? 2) Does the intensity of goat activity influence seed rain and its potential spatial association with adult palms? 3) To what extent does the intensity of goat activity determine post‐dispersal events such as seed predation and seedling emergence? We found that adult palms showed a more clumped and complex distribution (double‐cluster process) in plots with low and intermediate goat activity compared to that with high goat activity (simple‐cluster process). In the low goat activity plot, dispersed seeds were spatially aggregated around adult palms, showing twice as much insect‐seed predation and nearly three times lower seed germination success than those in the intermediate goat activity plot. Palm seed dispersal and recruitment were almost nil in the high goat activity plot due to heavy consumption of palm inflorescences and developing fruits by goats. Our findings demonstrate how the net outcome of plant–animal interactions can change from mutualism to antagonism, from reproductive service to reproductive collapse, depending on the abundance and the activity of the interacting species.

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“…In Mediterranean and semiarid regions, the combined effects of the pronounced seasonality and the large inter-annual fluctuations in rainfall levels on plant productivity exacerbate the frequency and impact of overgrazing problems, and represent a key constraint for optimal ranch management [22][23][24]. These impacts are compounded by the strong legacy effects of overgrazing on plant productivity (e.g., [25]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complementary Differences in Primary Production and Phenology among Vegetation Types Increase Ecosystem Resilience to Climate Change and Grazing Pressure in an Iconic Mediterranean Ecosystem

Giralt-Rueda

Santamarı́a

2021

Remote Sensing

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Plant primary production is a key factor in ecosystem dynamics. In environments with high climatic variability such as the Mediterranean region, plant primary production shows strong seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations, which both drive and interplay with herbivore grazing. Knowledge on the responses of different vegetation types to the variability in both rainfall and grazing pressure by wild and domestic ungulates is a necessary starting point for the sustainable management of these ecosystems. In this work we combine a 15 year series of remote sensing data on plant production (NDVI) with meteorological (daily precipitation data) and ungulate abundance (annual counts of four species of wild and domestic ungulates: red deer, fallow deer, cattle, and horses) in an iconic protected area (the Doñana National Park, SW Spain) to (i) estimate the impact of intra- and inter-annual variation in rainfall and herbivore pressure on primary production, for each of four main vegetation types; and (ii) evaluate the potential impact of different policy (i.e., herbivore management) strategies under expected climate change scenarios. Our results show that the production of different vegetation types differed strongly in their responses to phenology (a surrogate of the effect of climatology on vegetation development), water availability (rainfall accumulated until the phenological peak), and grazing pressure. Although the density of domestic ungulates shows a linear, negative effect on the primary production of three of the four vegetation types, differences in primary production and phenology among vegetation types increase ecosystem resilience to both climatological variability and grazing pressure. Such resilience may, however, be reduced under the conditions predicted by climate change models, if the moderate predicted reduction in rainfall levels combines with moderate to high densities of domestic ungulates, resulting in important reductions in primary production that may compromise plant regeneration, leading to irreversible degradation. New management strategies taking advantage of habitat heterogeneity and phenological alternation, more flexible stocking rates, and the redistribution of management units should be considered to mitigate these effects. The use of available remote sensing data and techniques in combination with statistical models represents a valuable tool for developing, monitoring, and refining such strategies.

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Ungulates and ecosystem services in Mediterranean woody systems: A semi-quantitative review

Cited by 24 publications

References 79 publications

Can Shrub Flammability be Affected by Goat Grazing? Flammability Parameters of Mediterranean Shrub Species under Grazing

Can Shrub Flammability be Affected by Goat Grazing? Flammability Parameters of Mediterranean Shrub Species under Grazing

From seed dispersal service to reproductive collapse: density‐dependent outcome of a palm–mammal interaction

Complementary Differences in Primary Production and Phenology among Vegetation Types Increase Ecosystem Resilience to Climate Change and Grazing Pressure in an Iconic Mediterranean Ecosystem

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