Luis Matías

Sporadic rainy events are more critical than increasing of drought intensity for woody species recruitment in a Mediterranean community

The understanding of the impact of extreme climatic events under a global climate change scenario is crucial for the accurate forecast of future plant community dynamics. We have experimentally assessed the effect of drier and wetter summer conditions on the recruitment probabilities and the growth of seedlings from eight woody species representative of the most important functional groups in the community, pioneer shrubs, mid-successional shrubs and trees, across the main habitats in the study area (open habitat, shrubland, and forest). Our hypothesis proposes that wet summer conditions would represent a good opportunity for tree species regeneration, enhancing both forest maintenance and expansion. A drier summer scenario, on the other hand, would limit forest regeneration, and probably hinder the colonization of nearby habitats. We found a habitat effect on the emergence, survival, and final biomass, whereas different climate scenarios affected seedling survival and biomass. A wet summer boosted growth and survival, whereas greater drought reduced survival only in some cases. These results were modulated by the habitat type. Overall, shrub species presented higher survival and growth and were less affected by more severe drought, whereas some tree species proved to be extremely dependent on wet summer conditions. We conclude that the reduction in frequency of wet summers predicted for the coming decades in Mediterranean areas will have greater consequences for species recruitment than will increased drought. The different response of the species from the various functional groups has the potential to alter the composition and dominance of future plant communities.

Asymmetric changes of growth and reproductive investment herald altitudinal and latitudinal range shifts of two woody species

Ongoing changes in global climate are altering ecological conditions for many species. The consequences of such changes are typically most evident at the edge of the geographical distribution of a species, where range expansions or contractions may occur. Current demographical status at geographical range limits can help us to predict population trends and their implications for the future distribution of the species. Thus, understanding the comparability of demographical patterns occurring along both altitudinal and latitudinal gradients would be highly informative. In this study, we analyse the differences in the demography of two woody species through altitudinal gradients at their southernmost distribution limit and the consistency of demographical patterns at the treeline across a latitudinal gradient covering the complete distribution range. We focus on Pinus sylvestris and Juniperus communis, assessing their demographical structure (density, age and mortality rate), growth, reproduction investment and damage from herbivory on 53 populations covering the upper, central and lower altitudes as well as the treeline at central latitude and northernmost and southernmost latitudinal distribution limits. For both species, populations at the lowermost altitude presented older age structure, higher mortality, decreased growth and lower reproduction when compared to the upper limit, indicating higher fitness at the treeline. This trend at the treeline was generally maintained through the latitudinal gradient, but with a decreased growth at the northern edge for both species and lower reproduction for P. sylvestris. However, altitudinal and latitudinal transects are not directly comparable as factors other than climate, including herbivore pressure or human management, must be taken into account if we are to understand how to infer latitudinal processes from altitudinal data.

Impacts of predicted climate change on recruitment at the geographical limits of Scots pine

Scots pine recruitment is likely to change in response to climate variations. A recruitment reduction is expected at the southern edge and an expansion through northern range. However, local adaptations to drought of southern populations might modulate this declining trend

Effect of Simulated Climate Change on Soil Respiration in a Mediterranean-Type Ecosystem: Rainfall and Habitat Type are More Important than Temperature or the Soil Carbon Pool

Soil respiration (RS) is known to be highly sensitive to different environmental factors, such as temperature, precipitation, and the soil carbon (C) pool. Thus, the scenario of global change expected for the coming decades might imply important consequences for RS dynamics. In addition, all of these factors may have an interactive effect, and the consequences are often confounded. We performed a field experiment to analyze the effect of soil moisture and habitat type on RS in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem by simulating three possible climate scenarios differing in the precipitation amount during summer (drier, wetter, and current precipitation pattern) in the main successional habitats in the area (forest, shrubland, and open habitat). We also considered other factors that would affect RS, such as the soil C pool and microbial biomass. By the use of structural-equation modeling (SEM), we disentangled the interactive effects of the different factors affecting RS. A higher simulated precipitation boosted RS for the different habitats across the sampling period (14.6% higher respect to control), whereas the more severe simulated drought reduced it (19.2% lower respect to control), a trend that was similar at the daily scale. Temperature had, by contrast, scant effects on RS. The SEM analysis revealed a positive effect of moisture and canopy cover on RS, whereas the effect of temperature was weaker and negative. Soil C pool and microbial biomass did not affect RS. We conclude that the precipitation changes expected for the coming decades would play a more important role in controlling RS than would other factors. Thus, the projected changes in the precipitation pattern may have much more profound direct effects on RS than will the projected temperature increases.

Differential impact of hotter drought on seedling performance of five ecologically distinct pine species

Increasing temperature and drought intensity is inducing the phenomenon of the so-called “hotter drought”, which is expected to increase in frequency over the coming decades across many areas of the globe, and is expected to have major implications for forest systems. Consequences of hotter drought could be especially relevant for closely related species overlapping their distributions, since differences in response can translate into range shifts. We assessed the effect of future climatic conditions on the performance of five ecologically distinct pine species common in Europe: Pinus halepensis, P. pinaster, P. nigra, P. sylvestris and P. uncinata. We hypothesised that Mediterranean species inhabiting dry, low-elevation sites will be less affected by the expected warming and drought increase than species inhabiting cold-wet sites. We performed a controlled conditions experiment simulating current and projected temperature and precipitation, and analysed seedling responses in terms of survival, growth, biomass allocation, maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and plant water potential (Ψ). Either an increase in temperature or a reduction in water input alone reduced seedling performance, but the highest impact occurred when these two factors acted in combination. Warming and water limitation reduced Ψ, whereas warming alone reduced biomass allocation to roots and Fv/Fm. However, species responded differentially to warmer and drier conditions, with lowland Mediterranean pines (P. halepensis and P. pinaster) showing higher survival and performance than mountain species. Interspecific differences in response to warmer, drier conditions could contribute to changes in the relative dominance of these pine species in Mediterranean regions where they co-occur and a hotter, drier climate is anticipated.

Seed dispersers, seed predators, and browsers act synergistically as biotic filters in a mosaic landscape.

In this study, we analize the functional influence of animals on the plants they interact with in a mediterranean mountain. We hypothesise that seed dispersers, seed predators, and browsers can act as biotic filters for plant communities. We analyse the combined effects of mutualistic (seed dispersal) and antagonistic (seed predation, herbivory) animal interactions in a mosaic landscape of Mediterranean mountains, basing our results on observational and experimental field. Most of the dispersed seeds came from tree species, whereas the population of saplings was composed predominantly of zoochorous shrub species. Seed predators preferentially consumed seeds from tree species, whereas seeds from the dominant fleshy-fruited shrubs had a higher probability of escaping these predators. The same pattern was repeated among the different landscape units by browsers, since they browsed selectively and far more intensely on tree-species saplings than on the surrounding shrubs. In synthesis, our work identifies the major biotic processes that appear to be favoring a community dominated by shrubs versus trees because seed dispersers, predators, and herbivores together favored shrub dispersal and establishment versus trees.

Contrasting growth forecasts across the geographical range of Scots pine due to altitudinal and latitudinal differences in climatic sensitivity.

Ongoing changes in global climate are altering ecological conditions for many species. The consequences of such changes are typically most evident at the edge of a species geographical distribution, where differences in growth or population dynamics may result in range expansions or contractions. Understanding population responses to different climatic drivers along wide latitudinal and altitudinal gradients is necessary in order to gain a better understanding of plant responses to ongoing increases in global temperature and drought severity. We selected Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) as a model species to explore growth responses to climatic variability (seasonal temperature and precipitation) over the last century through dendrochronological methods. We developed linear models based on age, climate and previous growth to forecast growth trends up to year 2100 using climatic predictions. Populations were located at the treeline across a latitudinal gradient covering the northern, central and southernmost populations and across an altitudinal gradient at the southern edge of the distribution (treeline, medium and lower elevations). Radial growth was maximal at medium altitude and treeline of the southernmost populations. Temperature was the main factor controlling growth variability along the gradients, although the timing and strength of climatic variables affecting growth shifted with latitude and altitude. Predictive models forecast a general increase in Scots pine growth at treeline across the latitudinal distribution, with southern populations increasing growth up to year 2050, when it stabilizes. The highest responsiveness appeared at central latitude, and moderate growth increase is projected at the northern limit. Contrastingly, the model forecasted growth declines at lowland-southern populations, suggesting an upslope range displacement over the coming decades. Our results give insight into the geographical responses of tree species to climate change and demonstrate the importance of incorporating biogeographical variability into predictive models for an accurate prediction of species dynamics as climate changes.

Soil nutrients and microbial biomass in three contrasting Mediterranean forests

AimsThe extent to which the spatial and temporal patterns of soil microbial and available nutrient pools hold across different Mediterranean forest types is unclear impeding the generalization needed to consolidate our understanding on Mediterranean ecosystems functioning.MethodsWe explored the response of soil microbial, total, organic and inorganic extractable nutrient pools (C, N and P) to common sources of variability, namely habitat (tree cover), soil depth and season (summer drought), in three contrasting Mediterranean forest types: a Quercus ilex open woodland, a mixed Q. suber and Q. canariensis woodland and a Pinus sylvestris forest.ResultsSoil microbial and available nutrient pools were larger beneath tree cover than in open areas in both oak woodlands whereas the opposite trend was found in the pine forest. The greatest differences in soil properties between habitat types were found in the open woodland. Season (drought effect) was the main driver of variability in the pine forest and was related to a loss of microbial nutrients (up to 75xa0% loss of Nmic and Pmic) and an increase in microbial ratios (Cmic/Nmic, Cmic/Pmic) from Spring to Summer in all sites. Nutrient pools consistently decreased with soil depth, with microbial C, N and P in the top soil being up to 208xa0%, 215xa0% and 274xa0% larger than in the deeper soil respectively.ConclusionsSimilar patterns of variation emerged in relation to season and soil depth across the three forest types whereas the direction and magnitude of the habitat (tree cover) effect was site-dependent, possibly related to the differences in tree species composition and forest structure, and thus in the quality and distribution of the litter input.