Federico Fillat

Floristic composition of established vegetation and the soil seed bank in pasture communities under different traditional management regimes.

Abstract The floristic composition of the established vegetation and the soil seed bank in seven herbaceous communities under different traditional management regimes were compared in the Valdeon valley (Picos de Europa, Spain), a valley chosen for study because of its high diversity and non-dominance of any single species which have become increasingly rare in Western Europe as a result of changes in agriculture practices. Although the biological richness in this valley is well know, few studies have been made of the effects of different traditional management regimes on the floristic soil seed bank composition of these grasslands. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of traditional management regimes on the floristic composition of the established vegetation and soil seed bank determining which species groups are most represented in each case to increase scientific information about these communities that every day are more scarce in Western Europe because of intensive management (generally due to fertiliser application to increase production) and abandonment of the traditional methods of management with a profound modification of the agrarian structure. An indirect germination method was used to study the seed bank. Soil samples were put into a germination chamber. 119 species of the vegetation and 104 of the seed bank were identified, 54 species being common to both. Results were analysed using Correspondence Analysis (CA), samples and species on the above-ground flora being ordered in the first two axes in well-defined groups: limestone and siliceous pastures, formerly-cultivated land and hay meadow. In the case of the below-ground seed bank, the manure used as fertiliser in some communities affected principally the concentration of therophytes in the soil and defined the different groups. Sampling time, management and differences between the persistence of seeds of different species in the soil seed bank were responsible for the large differences between the composition of the vegetation and seed bank. Ruderal species, species with persistent seeds and therophytes, which were better represented in the seed bank were responsible for the low correlation between seed bank and vegetation established.

ECOLOGICAL ADAPTATION OF TRADITIONAL LAND USES IN THE SPANISH PYRENEES

A review of research completed in several disciplines, including ecology and anthropology, in the Spanish Pyrenees shows that the traditional society formed an open system, with wide cultural and economic interactions with the surrounding lowlands. The management of three main resources, forests, grain crops, and meadows, and their space allocation in the mountain landscape show that rural life depended upon a close interrelationship of cereal production and sheep breeding and was strongly controlled by local environmental features. The traditional structure has been disrupted by the impact of urban culture; its preservation must be considered as one of the main challenges in present-day management issues of temperate mountain regions.

Influence of livestock soil eutrophication on floral composition in the Pyrenees mountains

AbstractLivestock behaviour in the Pyrenees includes free grazing and a long resting period that provokes the accumulation of dung and urine in some places, so-called camping areas. The aims of this study were (i) to analyze any change in floral composition, and in nutritional and chemical contents of plants in a livestock camping area; and (ii) to relate the floral composition with soil chemical properties. In a linear transect, five sampling zones were established, from the centre of the camping area to the surrounding Nardus stricta-dominant pasture. The above ground plant biomass and the topsoil were sampled in each zone with 6 replicates per zone. Plant species were classified and weighed to calculate above ground biomass, nutritional and chemical contents, and Shannon diversity and evenness indices. Additionally, soils were sampled in two periods, at the beginning and at the end of grazing period. Soil available nutrients (nitrate, ammonium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium), total nitrogen, organic carbon and pH were measured.Plant chemical contents (protein, lignin and others) were significantly related to the proportions of grasses, legumes and other plants; so, the protein content is positively correlated with legumes plant biomass while lignin content is negatively correlated with grasses. Both plant and soil nutrients increased linearly towards the centre of the camping area. However, the relationship among plant species richness, diversity and evenness relative to its position along the studied transect was bell-shaped. From the outskirts to the centre of the camping area, plants with low nutrient demand were progressively replaced by those with medium and high nutrients demand and by pioneers. Nardus stricta-dominant pasture has low plant diversity and plant nutrient content as well as a poor soil nutrient availability. The presence of the camping area introduced patches with more soil nutrients and new species in the large spatial scale. However at a small spatial scale, the strong soil nutrient concentration into the centre of the camping area reduced floral composition again. To ensure positive effects of camping areas on plant diversity, and to manage more effectively the nutrients returned to the soil, a reduction in the stocking rate should be pursued.

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF NATURAL RESOURCE USE IN THE CENTRAL PYRENEES OF SPAIN

This paper presents an overview of the evolution of the Huesca landscape with emphasis on stockbreeding activities from Paleolithic times until the present. A generalized account of changes before A.D. 1800 traces the development of the population from hunters and gatherers to stockbreeders and cultivators. After 1800, population increased and the potato and crop rotation were intro- duced. By the twentieth century the impacts of outmigration, new technologies, and urbanization heralded the greatest landscape changes.

El papel de los herbívoros en la conservación de los pastos

El Procambarus clarkii (cangrejo de rio americano o cangrejo rojo de las marismas) es un ejemplo de la introduccion de una especie en un ecosistema. En este trabajo se utiliza una poblacion de esta especie en la isla de Tenerife para un conjunto de actividades educativas en un Instituto de Formacion Profesional. Estas actividades incluyen muestreos y capturas de los cangrejos en el campo, la toma de sus medidas iniciales y su mantenimiento en el Instituto.Resumen de Tesis Doctoral. Director: Emilio Chuvieco Salinero. Centro: Departamento de Geografia, Programa interdepartamental de doctorado en Ciencias Ambientales. Fecha de lectura: 22 de Marzo de 2002.Francisco Diaz Pineda (pacopi@bio.ucm.es) es Catedratico de Ecologia en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid desde 1981. Estudio Biologia en la Universidad de Sevilla con ‘premio extraordinario’ (1973). Doctorado en 1975, su experiencia se basa en la planificacion territorial, el estudio de las bases ecologicas de la conservacion de la naturaleza, el analisis de ecosistemas mediterraneos - principalmente de pastizal - y la regulacion de la diversidad biologica. Es el actual Presidente de WWF–Espana (Adena) y miembro del International Board of WWF. Es miembro fundador del Centro Europeo de Conservacion de la Naturaleza (Ecnc) en Tilburg (Holanda) y componente de su actual Consejo Cientifico. Tambien es miembro del Capitulo espanol del Club de Roma desde 1999. Autor y editor de varios libros y monografias especializados, tiene 150 trabajos cientificos publicados y un centenar de articulos de divulgacion cientifica y opinion. Ha desarrollado 70 proyectos aplicados de ecologia por encargos o concursos nacionales, extranjeros o internacionales. Los premios recibidos incluyen el ‘Osborne’ (1975), el ‘Medio Ambiente sobre Estudios Tematicos’ (1984), el ’Ayuntamiento de Madrid’ (1986) y el ‘Premio Nacional de Medio Ambiente’ (2000). Jose Maria Rey Benayas le hizo la siguiente entrevista.

Alpine Ecology in the Iberian Peninsula: What Do We Know, and What Do We Need to Learn?

Abstract The 11th Conference of the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology, held in Pamplona, Spain, on 6–10 May 2013, included a symposium on alpine ecological research in the Iberian Peninsula. This session offered an excellent opportunity to assess the state and progress of alpine ecology in this region, identify knowledge gaps, and discuss further directions for research. Iberian alpine ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots and have traditionally contributed to sustaining rural livelihoods. Today, these ecosystems are subjected to large changes in land uses, including land abandonment, and are affected by climate change. This article reviews the current state of Iberian alpine ecology and proposes a research agenda. Alpine ecology in the Iberian Peninsula is a growing field of research. The need for larger spatial and temporal scales in research and monitoring, along with the integration of socioecological aspects, is a critical issue for understanding the major drivers of change in the alpine ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula. The implementation of effective mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the impact of the pressing environmental and socioeconomic problems of Iberian mountain areas can only be accomplished through a multidisciplinary and integrative approach.

Influence of Agropastoral System Components on Mountain Grassland Vulnerability Estimated by Connectivity Loss.

Over the last decades, global changes have altered the structure and properties of natural and semi-natural mountain grasslands. Those changes have contributed to grassland loss mainly through colonization by woody species at low elevations, and increases in biomass and greenness at high elevations. Nevertheless, the interactions between agropastoral components; i.e., ecological (grassland, environmental, and geolocation properties), social, and economic components, and their effects on the grasslands are still poorly understood. We estimated the vulnerability of dense grasslands in the Central Pyrenees, Spain, based on the connectivity loss (CL) among grassland patches that has occurred between the 1980s and the 2000s, as a result of i) an increase in biomass and greenness (CL-IBG), ii) woody encroachment (CL-WE), or iii) a decrease in biomass and greenness (CL-DBG). The environmental and grassland components of the agropastoral system were associated with the three processes, especially CL-IBG and CL-WE, in relation with the succession of vegetation toward climax communities, fostered by land abandonment and exacerbated by climate warming. CL-IBG occurred in pasture units that had a high proportion of dense grasslands and low current livestock pressure. CL-WE was most strongly associated with pasture units that had a high proportion of woody habitat and a large reduction in sheep and goat pressure between the 1930s and the 2000s. The economic component was correlated with the CL-WE and the CL-DBG; specifically, expensive pastures were the most productive and could maintain the highest rates of livestock grazing, which slowed down woody encroachment, but caused grassland degradation and DBG. In addition, CL-DBG was associated with geolocation of grasslands, mainly because livestock tend to graze closer to passable roads and buildings, where they cause grassland degradation. To properly manage the grasslands, an integrated management plan must be developed that includes an understanding of all components of the agropastoral system and takes into account all changes that have occurred in dense mountain grasslands. Addressing the problems individually risks the improvement of some grasslands and the deterioration of others.

Structure of Stockmen Collaboration Networks Under Two Contrasting Touristic Regimes in the Spanish Central Pyrenees

ABSTRACT Ecosystem management is a difficult task because it must conciliate the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of socioecological systems. In those systems, the action of any single component can have an effect on the others and result in a critical impact on the organization of the entire system. This study examined the collaboration networks among stockmen within two traditionally agropastoral regions in the Spanish Central Pyrenees, which in the past 30 yr included touristic activities: one under the influence of a national park and centered on ecotourism and the other in a region where there are ski resorts and local stockmen have turned to snow tourism. Our hypotheses were that economic regime affects the structure of the networks, and the type of collaboration (e.g., for economic reasons) influences the collaborations among stockmen. We built stockmen collaboration networks by connecting breeders within the same pastoral partnerships and calculated the importance of collaborations (links density), the occurrence of collaborative subgroups (network modularity), and the existence of collaborations between stockmen in different regions (Krackhardt Ratio). In addition, we identified the distribution of links among types of pastoral partnerships. The network under the influence of the National Park presented higher link density and modularity than did the network influenced by ski resorts, where the presence of nonlocal stockmen is higher. Furthermore, economic partnerships played a major role connecting stockmen. In the study area, differences in the collaboration networks between the two regions suggest that changes in the economic trend in the past 30 yr has influenced the collaborative structure of the stockmen. We discuss possible reasons behind these differences and propose some recommendations that could help to strengthen the collaborative bounds between stockmen in the area.

Integrando escalas y métodos LTER para comprender la dinámica global de un espacio protegido de montaña: el Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido

Bonache, J., de Mingo-Sancho, G., Serrada, J., Amengual, P., Perales, J., Martinez, R., Rodado, S., Albornos, E. 2016. Long-term monitoring and evaluation in Spanish National Parks Network. Ecosistemas 25(1): 31-48. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2016.25-1.05 The Spanish National Parks Network, consisting of a selection of natural spaces containing a representative sample of the main existing natural systems in Spain, is a very appropriate setting for research and long-term monitoring, in which the rules protects and promotes the improvement of knowledge and its application to management. In this regard, the National Parks Agency develops, in collaboration with the Autonomous Communities and with specific Scientific advise, a Research Program and a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan of the National Parks Network, latter having programs of ecological, sociological monitoring and functional. The article briefly explains the various monitoring initiatives underway, with examples of outcomes in each: mapping of natural systems, productivity monitoring through remote sensing, monitoring plant health, common bird monitoring, studies of social perception etc. Future prospects and areas for improvement of long-term monitoring in the National Parks Network are explained taking into account the synergies with the LTER Network, which is useful for monitoring in National Parks, especially concerning the application of comparable protocols and information management.

Teaching Environmental Sciences in an International and Interdisciplinary Framework: From Arid to Alpine Ecosystems in NE Spain

There is a growing need to develop, teach, and apply successful problem-solving and interdisciplinary approaches on environmental sciences education. Some of most effective learning activities are fieldwork, although sites to be visited have to be carefully selected to reduce time and expenses as well as to take account of safety concerns. That is the case for the teaching locations selected to develop an interdisciplinary, international, and intensive course in NE Spain. Within a distance of about 150 km, students can visit arid, Mediterranean, and Alpine environments, in one of the largest ecological gradients in Europe. In each environment, different sites are visited to analyse natural characteristics, ecological and socio-economic constraints and potentials, as well as the impact of the historical human utilisation in landscapes and ecosystems. Throughout the course, the participants focus on exploring sustainable land-use alternatives to developing rural areas in the visited environments. This teaching approach is aimed at students at degree, master, and Ph.D. level of biology, ecology, agriculture and forestry, landscape planning, and environmental technology. More than 400 students from different countries in Europe have participated since 1998 under the auspices of different SOCRATES and ERASMUS Intensive Programmes.