COMPORTAMIENTO INVASIVO DE LA GRAMINEA NATIVA BRACHYPODIUM PINNATUM: ANALISIS DE FACTORES Y DE PROCESOS PARA EL CONTROL DE SU EXPANSION EN EL NORTE DE LA PENINSULA

CGL2011-29746

Nombre agencia financiadora Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Acrónimo agencia financiadora MICINN
Programa Programa Nacional de Investigación Fundamental
Subprograma Investigación fundamental no-orientada
Convocatoria Investigación Fundamental No-Orientada
Año convocatoria 2011
Unidad de gestión Sin informar
Centro beneficiario UNIVERSIDAD PÚBLICA DE NAVARRA (UPNA)
Centro realización DPTO. DE PRODUCCIÓN AGRARIA
Identificador persistente http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837

Publicaciones

Found(s) 5 result(s)
Found(s) 1 page(s)

Soil bacterial functional diversity mirrors the loss of plant diversity by the expansion of a native tall-grass in high mountain grasslands

Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
  • Canals Tresserras, Rosa María
  • Múgica Azpilicueta, Leire
  • Durán Lázaro, María
  • San Emeterio Garciandía, Leticia
Background and Aims: In highland ecosystems, global change processes are intense and foster vegetation shifts that may have an impact on soil functioning. Soil bacterial communities may be particularly sensitive to these changing scenarios. The aim of this research is to determine whether the loss of floristic diversity caused by the unusual dominance of a native component -the perennial grass Brachypodium rupestre (L.) Beauv., which is expanding aggressively in natural grasslands of the Western Pyrenees-, parallels a decrease of the soil bacterial functional diversity and their potential for nutrient transformations. Methods: We conducted the study in eight grasslands exposed to different degrees of B. rupestre spreading. Soil community physiological profiles of the heterotrophic bacteria, enzymatic activities related to C, P and N cycles, C and N microbial biomasses, N components and soil physical and chemical properties were determined. Results: Soils below low-diversity grasslands had lower bacterial functional richness and diversity but greater urease activity, pH and nitrate than soils in diverse grasslands. Ammonium pools, C and N microbial biomasses and enzymatic activities related to C and P did not differ between grasslands. Conclusions: The expansion of B. rupestre and the decrease of plant diversity coincided with a significant decline of bacterial functional diversity and an alteration of the N cycle. Not only plant composition but the prevailing disturbance regime may account for the results. Results also suggest that B. rupestre may rely on its capability to use N efficiently rather than on a soil bacteria-mediated N availability., The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2011-29746) financed this research. M. Durán and L. Múgica got funding through an UPNA’s Research Staff Training Grant and L. San Emeterio by an UPNA’s Talent Recruitment Contract.




Decoupling of traditional burnings and grazing regimes alters plant diversity and dominant species competition in high-mountain grasslands

Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
  • Múgica Azpilicueta, Leire
  • Canals Tresserras, Rosa María
  • San Emeterio Garciandía, Leticia
  • Peralta de Andrés, Francisco Javier
Over millennia, the combination of controlled burnings and extensive grazing has maintained mosaic landscapes and preserved mountain grasslands in southern Europe. In the last century, deep socio-economic changes have led to an abandonment of traditional uses, to a general decline of the domestic herbivory and to a misuse of burning practices. This study aims to quantify how the decoupling of burning and grazing regimes affects in the long-term the structure, diversity and dynamics of high-mountain, shrub-encroached grasslands. In spring 2012, four treatments (burned-grazed, burned-ungrazed, unburned-grazed and unburned-ungrazed) were set up at three sites in the Special Area of Conservation Roncesvalles-Selva de Irati, in southwest Pyrenees. During seven years, we monitored floristic composition and the height of the native tall-grass Brachypodium rupestre in four plots at each site. In the burned plots, we surveyed the resprout of the dominant shrub Ulex gallii and the dynamics of recovering of the herbaceous vegetation. Plant communities evolved differently in grazed and ungrazed plots. Extensive grazing, despite being lower than in previous decades, maintained plant diversity and limited shrub encroachment. The total absence of grazing fostered the encroachment of U. gallii at two sites and the expansion of B. rupestre at the other site. When B. rupestre cover was >60%, the encroachment of U. gallii was reduced. This research highlights the competition that occurs between shrubs and tall-grasses in the absence of grazing, and the modulating effect exerted by the burnings and the site-specific features. Understanding local plant dynamics is the first step to design the most appropriate practices that help to preserve diversity at the landscape and the community level in high-mountain grasslands of south Europe., Interreg Sudoe Programme, European Regional Development Fund, European-Union, Open2preserve Project (SOE2/P5/E0804). Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain (CGL2010-21963 and CGL2011-29746 projects). L. Múgica was funded through a UPNA's Research Staff Training Grant. Leticia San Emeterio has received funding from “la Caixa” Foundation, Spain and CAN Foundation, Spain, under agreement LCF/PR/PR13/51080004.




Relating the spatial distribution of a tall-grass to fertility islands in a temperate mountain grassland

Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
  • San Emeterio Garciandía, Leticia
  • Durán Lázaro, María
  • Múgica Azpilicueta, Leire
  • Jiménez, Juan José
  • Canals Tresserras, Rosa María
Plant-soil feedback mechanisms influence the abundance and rarity of plant species and can favour invasive processes, including those of native species. To explore these mechanisms, we analysed correlations between spatial distributions of plant biomass and soil properties in two neighbouring grasslands at different phases of expansion of the native Eurasian tall-grass Brachypodium rupestre (Host) Roem & Schult (B. rupestre cover: >75 and 25–50%). For this, we applied spatially explicit sampling, geostatistical analysis and structural equation models (SEM) to probe causal relationships among measured variables involved in nutrient accumulation. We hypothesized that if litter accumulates as a result of reduced grazing, ‘fertility islands’ (spots of high SOM and nutrient contents) will form under B. rupestre clumps because the increase in resource inputs from litter will trigger SOM build-up and promote microbial growth. Our results show that ‘fertility islands’ of P and amino acids occurred under the patchy clumps of B. rupestre in the less invaded grassland. In addition, the SEMs indicated that nutrient accumulation was partially due to mineralization of the SOM and modulated by the soil microbial biomass. However, there was no correlation between spatial patterns of B. rupestre biomass, SOM and microbial biomass. Moreover, the SEMs explained small amounts of variance in them (SOM r2 = 0.22 and microbial biomass r2 = 0.08), suggesting that factors other than B. rupestre biomass were responsible for the high fertility below the patches. Our spatially explicit approach demonstrated that litter inputs in dense temperate grassland communities can generate ‘fertility islands’ that may favour the stability and expansion of a tall-grass invader and suggest that herbivory may enhance or inhibit this phenomenon., The study was funded by ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, Spain and CAN foundation, Spain (LCF/PR/PR13/51080004), the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government (project refs. CGL2010-21963, CGL2011-29746 and CGL2017-85490-R), and Interreg Sudoe Programme, European Regional Development Fund, European-Union, Open2preserve Project (SOE2/P5/E0804). L. Múgica and M. Durán were funded through a UPNA Research Staff Training Grant.




Disruption of traditional land use regimes causes an economic loss of provisioning services in high-mountain grasslands

Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
  • Durán Lázaro, María
  • Canals Tresserras, Rosa María
  • Sáez Istilart, José Luis
  • Ferrer Lorés, V.
  • Lera López, Fernando
Mountain ecosystems face many challenges related to global change. Most high-altitude grasslands in the Pyrenees, despite representing valuable assets recognised in the European conservation heritage, are at risk due to the decline of traditional extensive ranging. This research intends to quantify economically the loss of the provisioning service of high-quality food for livestock of an upland area on the western side of the range. The area is experiencing degradation due to the expansion of the native tall-grass Brachypodium rupestre, favoured by disruption of traditional grazing and anthropogenic fire regimes. We implement the substitution economic approach and use floristic and husbandry data to determine that the loss of food rations for livestock results in an unitary cost of 107 (sic).ha(-1).year(-1), amounting to 21146 (sic) for the whole degraded area, according to the most conservative estimate. The study also finds evidence that the decline in grassland value is closely associated with the digestibility to herbivores of B. rupestre during the growing season. This approach may be an effective tool to raise awareness of the problem among local and regional stakeholders and encourage further environmental actions to prevent the degradation., The project was financially supported by the INTERREG SUDOE Program (European Regional Development Fund, Open2preserve Project-SOE2/P5/E0804), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2011-29746) and the UPNA's PhD programme to M. Duran (2017-2021).




Plant diversity patterns and soil nitrogen dynamics after controlled burnings applied to restore mountain grasslands and create resilient landscapes

Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
  • Múgica Azpilicueta, Leire
Esta tesis engloba tres trabajos científicos que se centran en los efectos del desacoplamiento de los regímenes de las perturbaciones fuego y pastoreo en los suelos y en la dinámica de la vegetación. En resumen, los resultados de esta memoria doctoral resaltan el riesgo asociado al desacoplamiento de las prácticas de fuego y pastoreo y sus consecuencias para el ciclo del N terrestre y el mantenimiento de la biodiversidad de las comunidades de pasto. La investigación recomienda promover el herbivorismo guiado después de las quemas con el propósito de ejercer un control suficiente sobre determinadas especies problemáticas, y así evitar el uso recurrente de las quemas controladas en los pastos de montaña, lo que puede conllevar efectos negativos en suelos, en vegetación y en el ciclo de nutrientes esenciales. Dado el actual escenario de cambio global, que implica el cambio climático y los cambios de uso de suelos, es necesario comprender los regímenes de gestión tradicionales que preservan la biodiversidad en los paisajes culturales de las zonas de montaña, y planificar así de forma más adecuad a las prácticas que permitan mantener los mecanismos y los procesos que constituyen la base de los paisajes resilientes., This PhD thesis encompasses three scientific works that focus on the effects of the decoupling regimes of fire and herbivory disturbances on the soils and on the dynamics of the vegetation. Altogether, the results of this doctoral dissertation highlight the risk associated to the decoupling of the burning and grazing practices and their consequences to the N terrestrial cycle and the maintenance of the community biodiversity. Eventually, the promotion of a targeted herbivory after burnings with the purpose of exerting enough control on particular troublesome species is recommended: it delays the application of controlled burnings in mountain grasslands, which recurrence and intensity may imply undesired effects in the soils, the vegetation and the N cycle. Given the current global change scenario (climate change and changing land-uses), it is necessary to understand traditional management regimes that preserve biodiversity in cultural landscapes of mountain areas, and to apply suitable emulating practices that maintain mechanisms and processes that constitute the basis of the resilient landscapes., Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government (CGL2010-21963 and CGL2011-29746 projects); Interreg Sudoe Programme, European Regional Development Fund, Open2preserve Project (SOE2/P5/E0804); Grant from the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 of the Navarre Government; Fellowship ‘Ayudas de nueva solicitud para la Formación de Personal Investigador en la Universidad Pública de Navarra para el año 2015’ from the Universidad Pública de Navarra; Mobility grants from `III Convocatoria de becas a la excelencia de la Fundación Bancaria Caja Navarra (curso 2017-2018)’ and `Convocatoria de ayudas para la realización de prácticas en empresas o instituciones europeas en el marco del programa: Erasmus prácticas 2018-2019’., Programa de Doctorado en Agrobiología Ambiental (RD 99/2011), Ingurumen Agrobiologiako Doktoretza Programa (ED 99/2011)