Antonio J. Pérez-Luque

The weight of the past: land-use legacies and recolonization of pine plantations by oak trees.

Most of the worlds plantations were established on previously disturbed sites with an intensive land-use history. Our general hypothesis was that native forest regeneration within forest plantations depends largely on in situ biological legacies as a source of propagules. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed native oak regeneration in 168 pine plantation plots in southern Spain in relation to land use in 1956, oak patch proximity, and pine tree density. Historical land-use patterns were determined from aerial photography from 1956, and these were compared with inventory data from 2004-2005 and additional orthophoto images. Our results indicate that oak forest regeneration in pine plantations depends largely on land-use legacies, although nearby, well-conserved areas can provide propagules for colonization from outside the plantation, and pine tree density also affected oak recruit density. More intense land uses in the past meant fewer biological legacies and, therefore, lower likelihood of regenerating native forest. That is, oak recruit density was lower when land use in 1956 was croplands (0.004 +/- 0.002 recruits/m2 [mean +/- SE]) or pasture (0.081 +/- 0.054 recruits/m2) instead of shrubland (0.098 +/- 0.031 recruits/m2) or oak formations (0.314 +/- 0.080 recruits/m2). Our study shows that land use in the past was more important than propagule source distance or pine tree density in explaining levels of native forest regeneration in plantations. Thus, strategies for restoring native oak forests in pine plantations may benefit from considering land-use legacies as well as distance to propagule sources and pine density.

An ontological system based on MODIS images to assess ecosystem functioning of Natura 2000 habitats: A case study for Quercus pyrenaica forests

Abstract The implementation of the Natura 2000 network requires methods to assess the conservation status of habitats. This paper shows a methodological approach that combines the use of (satellite) Earth observation with ontologies to monitor Natura 2000 habitats and assess their functioning. We have created an ontological system called Savia that can describe both the ecosystem functioning and the behaviour of abiotic factors in a Natura 2000 habitat. This system is able to automatically download images from MODIS products, create indicators and compute temporal trends for them. We have developed an ontology that takes into account the different concepts and relations about indicators and temporal trends, and the spatio-temporal components of the datasets. All the information generated from datasets and MODIS images, is stored into a knowledge base according to the ontology. Users can formulate complex questions using a SPARQL end-point. This system has been tested and validated in a case study that uses Quercus pyrenaica Willd. forests as a target habitat in Sierra Nevada (Spain), a Natura 2000 site. We assess ecosystem functioning using NDVI. The selected abiotic factor is snow cover. Savia provides useful data regarding these two variables and reflects relationships between them.

Dataset of Phenology of Mediterranean high-mountain meadows flora (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

Abstract Sierra Nevada mountain range (southern Spain) hosts a high number of endemic plant species, being one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean basin. The high-mountain meadow ecosystems (borreguiles) harbour a large number of endemic and threatened plant species. In this data paper, we describe a dataset of the flora inhabiting this threatened ecosystem in this Mediterranean mountain. The dataset includes occurrence data for flora collected in those ecosystems in two periods: 1988–1990 and 2009–2013. A total of 11002 records of occurrences belonging to 19 orders, 28 families 52 genera were collected. 73 taxa were recorded with 29 threatened taxa. We also included data of cover-abundance and phenology attributes for the records. The dataset is included in the Sierra Nevada Global-Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this area.

Sinfonevada: Dataset of Floristic diversity in Sierra Nevada forests (SE Spain)

Abstract The Sinfonevada database is a forest inventory that contains information on the forest ecosystem in the Sierra Nevada mountains (SE Spain). The Sinfonevada dataset contains more than 7,500 occurrence records belonging to 270 taxa (24 of these threatened) from floristic inventories of the Sinfonevada Forest inventory. Expert field workers collected the information. The whole dataset underwent a quality control by botanists with broad expertise in Sierra Nevada flora. This floristic inventory was created to gather useful information for the proper management of Pinus plantations in Sierra Nevada. This is the only dataset that shows a comprehensive view of the forest flora in Sierra Nevada. This is the reason why it is being used to assess the biodiversity in the very dense pine plantations on this massif. With this dataset, managers have improved their ability to decide where to apply forest treatments in order to avoid biodiversity loss. The dataset forms part of the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this area.

Monitoring Global Change in High Mountains

Long-term ecological research provides essential information to understand the complex dynamics of natural systems. In a global change scenario, high mountains represent an exceptional ecology field lab for long-term research and monitoring, offering an enormous mosaic of ecological conditions existing along mountain slopes. Mountains ecosystems also constitute invaluable observatories of the atmosphere and all the aspects related to climate, atmospheric particle deposition, pollutants, greenhouse gases, or the transport of resistant biological forms. Mountains are sensors for early detection of change. In the Sierra Nevada LTER site (southern Spain), we have been implementing a long-term monitoring programme taking advantage of the high altitude and geographical position of this Mediterranean mountain. We have identified the main expected impacts in the context of global change and analysed the biophysical and socioeconomic data available to assess exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of ecosystems to future scenarios. The study incorporates a retrospective of past human management of land use, to understand the current state of conservation of the ecosystems and make plausible forecasts on its response to future scenarios. The results show the following: (1) an ancestral human footprint on the ecosystems of Sierra Nevada, particularly evident during the 20th century; (2) a moderate climate warming, with reduction and increased variability in precipitation, as well as a consequent reduction in snow-cover duration during the last few decades; (3) significant changes in biophysical characteristics of rivers and mountain lakes; and (4) shifts in the distribution and phenology of many species of plants and animals along elevation gradients.

Dataset of MIGRAME Project (Global Change, Altitudinal Range Shift and Colonization of Degraded Habitats in Mediterranean Mountains).

Abstract In this data paper, we describe the dataset of the Global Change, Altitudinal Range Shift and Colonization of Degraded Habitats in Mediterranean Mountains (MIGRAME) project, which aims to assess the capacity of altitudinal migration and colonization of marginal habitats by Quercus pyrenaica Willd. forests in Sierra Nevada (southern Spain) considering two global-change drivers: temperature increase and land-use changes. The dataset includes information of the forest structure (diameter size, tree height, and abundance) of the Quercus pyrenaica ecosystem in Sierra Nevada obtained from 199 transects sampled at the treeline ecotone, mature forest, and marginal habitats (abandoned cropland and pine plantations). A total of 3839 occurrence records were collected and 5751 measurements recorded. The dataset is included in the Sierra Nevada Global-Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this mountain range.

Documentación de modelos y flujos de trabajo: el siguiente reto en el manejo de información ecológica

Blanco, J.A. 2013. Modelos ecol??gicos: descripci??n, explicaci??n y predicci??n. Ecosistemas 22(3):1-5. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2013.22-3.01.Caro-Moreno, D., Jimenez-Cantizano, F.A. 2013. Study of the concentration of toxic trace elements of sludge deposits, soils and plants in Mina La Solana, Almeria (Spain). Ecosistemas 22(3):101-110. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2013.22-3.14. This work presents a study of the concentration of toxic trace elements in abandoned sludge deposits (tailings) by mining in Almeria (Spain), soils and plants that colonize and represent a way to incorporate those elements in the food chain. The old mining industry left a number of abandoned facilities in different parts of Andalusia, with tailings standing out. They were generated in the flotation process, and usually deposited and left on streambeds. Tailings composition vary depending on the type of ore and treatment additives, but usually the contents of heavy metals are high, because recovery was not very good in the mineral processing technique used in the early 20th century facilities. In this study we analyze the case of Mina La Solana tailings, located in Almocita (Almeria, SE Spain). We carried out a geochemical characterization of trace element content. Furthermore, we also studied the geochemical trace element content in plants that were rooted in the tailings. The results show that tailings have high Pb content (average concentration 6800 ppm) and Zn (average concentration 22 000 ppm). These elements are not mobile soluble fractions; leaching tests give very low concentration levels (≤ 10 ppm Pb and ≤ 2 ppm Zn) in water. We found high concentrations of the same elements in plants, with a value of up to 210 ppm Pb and 1300 ppm Zn. This demonstrates the ability of plants to alter the mobility of the elements present in the substrate where they are rooted and thus providing a transfer to the food chain through feeding species.

Dataset of Passerine bird communities in a Mediterranean high mountain (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

Abstract In this data paper, a dataset of passerine bird communities is described in Sierra Nevada, a Mediterranean high mountain located in southern Spain. The dataset includes occurrence data from bird surveys conducted in four representative ecosystem types of Sierra Nevada from 2008 to 2015. For each visit, bird species numbers as well as distance to the transect line were recorded. A total of 27847 occurrence records were compiled with accompanying measurements on distance to the transect and animal counts. All records are of species in the order Passeriformes. Records of 16 different families and 44 genera were collected. Some of the taxa in the dataset are included in the European Red List. This dataset belongs to the Sierra Nevada Global-Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this area.

Ecoinformática: nuevo grupo de trabajo de la Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre

La Gestion Integrada de Plagas (GIP) es un enfoque ecosistemico para la produccion y proteccion de cultivos que combina diferentes estrategias para reducir al minimo el uso de pesticidas sin disminuir la produccion (FAO 2015). Las estrategias de GIP se han convertido en una solucion para la industria citricola espanola, la cual necesita responder a las nuevas legislaciones europeas y a las demandas de un mercado internacional y una sociedad que exigen habitos alimenticios mas sanos y sistemas de produccion con menor impacto en el medio ambiente (Urbaneja et al. 2015). El agroecosistema de citricos alberga un abundante y diverso complejo de enemigos naturales (EN), muchos de los cuales ejercen un control biologico (CB) eficaz sobre las diversas plagas existentes en este cultivo (Urbaneja et al. 2015). No es el caso para el pulgon Aphis spiraecola Patch. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) (Fig. 1A). Este pulgon es plaga clave en el cultivo de clementinos de la cuenca Mediterranea (Tena y Garcia-Mari 2011) donde infesta los brotes tiernos de primavera (Fig. 1B), causando importantes perdidas economicas todos los anos. Actualmente su CB no esta desarrollado y el control quimico no resulta del todo eficaz (Urbaneja et al. 2015). Los esfuerzos realizados en el CB de A. spiraecola en citricos se habian centrado en la introduccion y/o conservacion de parasitoides de pulgones, todos ellos sin exito. Los parasitoides de pulgones son himenopteros que depositan un huevo dentro del huesped, el cual se convertira en momia, y de donde emergera otro parasitoide adulto. Hasta la fecha se desconocian las causas de la baja eficacia de los parasitoides frente a este pulgon. Otro grupo de EN son los depredadores, los cuales pertenecen a grupos tan diversos como los coleopteros, dermapteros, dipteros y neuropteros (Fig. 1C y D). Muchos estudios han abordado el potencial de los depredadores de A. spiraecola en laboratorio pero su impacto directo sobre las colonias de A. spiraecola en campo no se ha documentado. En esta tesis se abordaron diferentes objetivos para disenar una estrategia de control biologico frente a A. spiraecola en clementinos: i) identificar las razones por las que se dan bajos niveles de parasitismo ii) determinar cuando y como los depredadores pueden controlar las poblaciones y finalmente iii) determinar si una cubierta de gramineas puede mejorar el CB de este pulgon en clementinos mediante la mejora en el establecimiento de sus depredadores. Gomez-Marco, F. 2016. Gestion integrada de Aphis spiraecola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) en clementino: mejora de su control biologico. Ecosistemas 25(2):114-118. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2016.25-2.16.

Ciencia reproducible: qué, por qué, cómo

La Gestion Integrada de Plagas (GIP) es un enfoque ecosistemico para la produccion y proteccion de cultivos que combina diferentes estrategias para reducir al minimo el uso de pesticidas sin disminuir la produccion (FAO 2015). Las estrategias de GIP se han convertido en una solucion para la industria citricola espanola, la cual necesita responder a las nuevas legislaciones europeas y a las demandas de un mercado internacional y una sociedad que exigen habitos alimenticios mas sanos y sistemas de produccion con menor impacto en el medio ambiente (Urbaneja et al. 2015). El agroecosistema de citricos alberga un abundante y diverso complejo de enemigos naturales (EN), muchos de los cuales ejercen un control biologico (CB) eficaz sobre las diversas plagas existentes en este cultivo (Urbaneja et al. 2015). No es el caso para el pulgon Aphis spiraecola Patch. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) (Fig. 1A). Este pulgon es plaga clave en el cultivo de clementinos de la cuenca Mediterranea (Tena y Garcia-Mari 2011) donde infesta los brotes tiernos de primavera (Fig. 1B), causando importantes perdidas economicas todos los anos. Actualmente su CB no esta desarrollado y el control quimico no resulta del todo eficaz (Urbaneja et al. 2015). Los esfuerzos realizados en el CB de A. spiraecola en citricos se habian centrado en la introduccion y/o conservacion de parasitoides de pulgones, todos ellos sin exito. Los parasitoides de pulgones son himenopteros que depositan un huevo dentro del huesped, el cual se convertira en momia, y de donde emergera otro parasitoide adulto. Hasta la fecha se desconocian las causas de la baja eficacia de los parasitoides frente a este pulgon. Otro grupo de EN son los depredadores, los cuales pertenecen a grupos tan diversos como los coleopteros, dermapteros, dipteros y neuropteros (Fig. 1C y D). Muchos estudios han abordado el potencial de los depredadores de A. spiraecola en laboratorio pero su impacto directo sobre las colonias de A. spiraecola en campo no se ha documentado. En esta tesis se abordaron diferentes objetivos para disenar una estrategia de control biologico frente a A. spiraecola en clementinos: i) identificar las razones por las que se dan bajos niveles de parasitismo ii) determinar cuando y como los depredadores pueden controlar las poblaciones y finalmente iii) determinar si una cubierta de gramineas puede mejorar el CB de este pulgon en clementinos mediante la mejora en el establecimiento de sus depredadores. Gomez-Marco, F. 2016. Gestion integrada de Aphis spiraecola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) en clementino: mejora de su control biologico. Ecosistemas 25(2):114-118. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2016.25-2.16.