Suchergebnisse

26 páginas.-- 12 figuras.-- 1 tabla.-- 56 referencias.-- The RECARE ES Assessment Tool is available online at https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/12/4416/s1, File S1: RECARE_Tool_ES_Assessment.zip. S2 presents the CICES 4.3 table adapted for RECARE, File S2: RECARE_CICES_adapted.doc. ; Schwilch, Gudrun et al. ; Only a few studies have quantified and measured ecosystem services (ES) specifically related to soil. To address this gap, we have developed and applied a methodology to assess changes in ecosystem services, based on measured or estimated soil property changes that were stimulated by soil management measures (e.g., mulching, terracing, no-till). We applied the ES assessment methodology in 16 case study sites across Europe representing a high diversity of soil threats and land use systems. Various prevention and remediation measures were trialled, and the changes in manageable soil and other natural capital properties were measured and quantified. An Excel tool facilitated data collection, calculation of changes in ecosystem services, and visualization of measured short-term changes and estimated long-term changes at plot level and for the wider area. With this methodology, we were able to successfully collect and compare data on the impact of land management on 15 different ecosystem services from 26 different measures. Overall, the results are positive in terms of the impacts of the trialled measures on ecosystem services, with 18 out of 26 measures having no decrease in any service at the plot level. Although methodological challenges remain, the ES assessment was shown to be a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the trialled measures, and also served as an input to a stakeholder valuation of ecosystem services at local and sub-national levels ; The research leading to these results received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 603498 (RECARE project). It was also supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract no. 15-0497 and VEGA grant no. 1/0710/15. ; Peer reviewed

13 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, 70 references. We are grateful to the Andalusian Government (Consejería de Medio Ambiente), and to Felipe Oliveros and the staff of Los Alcornocales Park for the facilities to compile forest inventory information and for visit permits. We thank Javier Quijada and José Manuel Moreira of REDIAM, and José A. Villanueva of the Ministry of Environment, for providing, respectively, environmental and SSFI data, as well as Francisco Rodríguez, Sara Rodríguez, and Carlota Martínez for assistance at various stages. Daniel Montoya, Drew Purves, James Aronson. Historical forest management plans were consulted in the archive of the Dirección General para la Biodiversidad (Madrid). ; Aims Both human and non-human determinants have shaped Mediterranean forest structure over the last few millennia. The effects of recent human activities on forest composition, however, remain poorly understood. We quantified changes in forest composition during the past century in the mixed forests of Quercus suber (cork oak) and Q. canariensis (Algerian oak), and explored the effects of forest management and environmental (climate, topography) factors on forest structure at various spatial and temporal scales. Location Mountains north of the Strait of Gibraltar (southern Spain). Methods First, we quantified 20th-century changes in species composition from a series of inventories in nine mixed forests (c. 40,000 ha), and examined them in terms of the management practices and environmental conditions. Second, we analysed present-day Q. suber and Q. canariensis stand structure along environmental gradients at two spatial scales: (1) that of the forest landscape (c. 284 ha), combining local inventories and topographic variables and using a digital elevation model; and (2) regional (c. 87,600 km2), combining data from the Spanish Forest Inventory for the Andalusia region and estimates of climatic variables. Results Historical data indicate anthropogenic changes in stand composition, revealing a sharp increase in the density of cork oaks over the last century. Forest management has favoured this species (for cork production) at the expense of Q. canariensis. The impact of management is imprinted on the present-day forest structure. The abundance of both species increases with annual mean precipitation, and they coexist above 800 mm (the minimum threshold for Q. canariensis). Quercus suber dominates in most of the stands, and species segregation in the landscape is associated with the drainage network, Q. canariensis being clearly associated with moister habitats near streams. Main conclusions Our study quantitatively exemplifies a recent humanmediated shift in forest composition. As a result of forest management, the realized niche of the cork oak has been enlarged at the expense of that of Q. canariensis, providing further evidence for humans as major drivers of oak forest composition across the Mediterranean. Recent regeneration problems detected in Q. suber stands, a reduced demand for wood products, conservation policies, and climate change augur new large-scale shifts in forest composition. ; This study was supported by grant FPI-MEC to I.R.U. and project grants REN2002-04041-C02 and CGL2005-05830-C03. This research is part of REDBOME (http://www.ugr.es/~redbome/) and GLOBIMED (http:// www.globimed.net) networks on forest ecology ; Peer reviewed

9 pages, 4 tables, 3 figures, 63 references. We thank the Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Andalusian Government) and Marco Antonio Tena, then Director of Los Alcornocales Natural Park, for the facilities and support to carry out our field work. We are grateful to Nacho Pérez-Ramos, Ana Pozuelos, María Navarro, Eduardo Gutiérrez, Sophie Manzi and Juliet Rochet for field and lab assistance. ; Host trees can modify their soil abiotic conditions through their leaf fall quality which in turn may influence the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community composition. We investigated this indirect interaction using a causal modelling approach. We identified ECM fungi on the roots of two coexisting oak species growing in two forests in southern Spain e Quercus suber (evergreen) and Quercus canariensis (winter deciduous)-using a PCR-based molecular method. We also analysed the leaf fall, litter and soil sampled beneath the tree canopies to determine the concentrations of key nutrients. The total mycorrhizal pool was comprised of 69 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Tomentella and Russula were the most species-rich, frequent and abundant genera. ECM fungi with epigeous and resupinate fruiting bodies were found in 60% and 34% of the identified mycorrhizas, respectively. The calcium content of litter, which was significantly higher beneath the winter-deciduous oak species due to differences in leaf fall quality, was the most important variable for explaining ECM species distribution. The evaluation of alternative causal models by the d-sep method revealed that only those considering indirect leaf fallmediated host effects statistically matched the observed covariation patterns between host, environmen (litter, topsoil, subsoil) and fungal community variables. ; This study was supported by an FPI-MEC grant to CA, by the Spanish MEC projects Dinamed (CGL2005-5830- C03-01) and Interbos (CGL2008-4503-C03-01), and the European FEDER funds. This research is part of the Globimed (www. globimed.net) network in forest ecology. ; Peer reviewed

8 páginas, 4 tablas, 2 figuras, 10 referencias.-- Pertenece al Capítulo I: Terrestrial Ecosystem.-- Dr.Paula Madejón presented her Doctoral Thesis on March 2004 about the bioaccumulation of trace elements in plants affected by the Aznalcóllar mine spill, currently she is working as a postdoc student at The John Moores University in Liverpool; Dr. Teodoro Marañón is research scientist in the CSIC, with experience in plant ecology; Dr. José Manuel Murillo is research scientist in the CSIC with experience in plant nutrition and plant-environment relationships, he is the research leader of the project supporting this study; Dr. Francisco Cabrera is research scientist in the CSIC, with a long experience in the chemical environment of the Guadiamar river. ; Bioaccumulation of As and Pb (toxic elements), and Fe and Mn (micronutrients) have been determined in leaves and fruits of two evergreen tree species (Olea europaea and Quercus rotundifolia) in a "dehesa" woodland affected by the Aznalcóllar mine spill, which occurred on the 25 April 1998. Comparing with adjacent non-flooded woodland we have found higher level of As in Olea leaves and fruits, and of Fe in Quercus leaves (but lower Mn level). Quercus leaves accumulated higher content of As, Pb, Fe and Mn than Olea leaves, partly due to a possible external deposition. Fleshy drupes of wild Olea (important component of the diet of many birds) showed toxic levels of As (up to 18 mg kg-1) and Pb (up to 35 mg kg-1) in 1999 but decreased in 2000. A monitoring of trace element concentration in leaves and fruits of polluted trees is recommended. ; This study was carried out under the framework of the Programa de Investigación del Corredor Verde (PICOVER), supported by the Andalusian regional government (Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía), Spain. We thank Juan Marañón, Lola Hurtado and José María Alegre for their help in sampling. As and Pb concentration in plants were determined (by ICP-MS) in the Centre for Scientific Instrumentation, University of Granada. ; Peer reviewed

10 pages, 2 figures, 26 references. We thank the Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Andalusian Government) and Felipe Oliveros, Director of Los Alcornocales Natural Park, for the facilities and support to carry out the field work. We also thank to Maite Domínguez and Carmen Navarro for field assistance. Regeneration Models were carried out by IRU, with the advice of Dr. Richard Kobe, during a short-time grant in Michigan State University. El libro referenciado ha sido publicado con motivo de Conference Proceedings: Conference held at the University of Huelva on 20-22 october, 2005. Organised bay: Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de Huelva, Spain. Centro de Estudos Florestais, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Portugal. ; The success of natural regeneration in forests depends on the sequential and complete achievement of several connected life-history stages of tree species. The collapse of any stage results in the limitation of the overall recruitment process. In this study, we focus on several regeneration stages of the cork oak (Quercus suber) tree species: seed production, pre-dispersal and post-dispersal predation rates, and establishment of seedlings. The fieldwork was carried out at three forest plots located within Los Alcornocales Natural Park (Southern Spain) where Q. suber is dominant. We have monitored seed production of 50 adult trees during three consecutive years, estimating the proportion of crop loss due to abortions and to damage by insect larvae. We have also studied the impact of predators (rodents and large herbivores) on seed survival in different types of microsites. Finally, we have studied the effect of microsite types and environmental factors (light, soil moisture and soil compaction) on the germination of sown seeds and the subsequent emergence and survival of seedlings. Results suggest that the high acorn predation rates (both pre-dispersal and post-dispersal) and the high mortality of seedlings (during the summer drought) are main causes of limitation in the natural regeneration of Q. suber in the study area. These factors act on a microsite-depending scale, altering acorns and seedlings probability of survivorship. The scientific knowledge of natural regeneration requirements of Q. suber will help to develop ecological restoration programs in disturbed areas caused by fire, tree disease, or changes of land use. ; This study was supported by the coordinated project Heteromed (REN2002-04041-CO2). This research is part of REDBOME and GLOBIMED networks on forest ecology. ; Peer reviewed

9 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables, 39 references. We thank Rosario Hidalgo and Eduardo Jiménez for helping with the field work, José M. Higuera and Jesús V. García for facilities at the University of Seville greenhouse, and two anonymous reviewers for improving the manuscript. ; Soil seed bank and floristic diversity were studied in a forest of Quercus suber, a forest of Quercus canariensis and a grassland, forming a vegetation mosaic in Los Alcornocales Natural Park, southern Spain. The soil seed bank was estimated by the germination technique. In each community patch, diversity, woody species cover and herbaceous species frequency was measured. Three biodiversity components – species richness, endemism and taxonomic singularity – were considered in the vegetation and the seed bank. Forest patches had a soil seed bank of ca. 11 200-14 100 seed.m–2 and their composition had low resemblance to (epigeal) vegetation. The grassland patch had a more dense seed bank (ca. 31 800 seed.m–2) and a higher index of similarity with vegetation, compared with the forests nearby. The complete forest diversity was 71-78 species on 0.1 ha, including 12-15 species found only in the seed bank; the grassland species richness was higher (113 species on 0.1 ha). We discuss the role of soil seed banks in the vegetation dynamics and in the complete plant biodiversity of the mosaic landscape studied. ; The study has been supported by a contract of the 'Consejería de Medio Ambiente' of the Regional Andalusian Government, by the CICYT-FEDER project 1FD97-0743- C03-03, and by DGES grant PB95-551. ; Peer reviewed

10 páginas.-- 4 tablas.-- 60 referencias.-- Supporting InformationAdditional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article ; 1. Understanding the proximate factors that govern the widespread mast-seeding process is a question of considerable interest that remains poorly understood. The identity and effect of these factors may vary among coexisting species that differ in leaf habit, potentially resulting in temporally asynchronous patterns of seed production. 2. In this study, we aim to identify the proximate causes of mast-seeding using two oak species with contrasting leaf habit that coexist in southern Spain, the deciduous Quercus canariensis and the evergreen Q. suber. Simultaneously, we review the literature on environmental drivers of mast-seeding in Mediterranean oaks, distinguishing between evergreen and deciduous species. 3. Our results indicate that Mediterranean oaks are primarily sensitive to weather, mast-seeding being strongly correlated with water availability and air temperature, mainly in the spring and summer. 4. The two study oak species were affected by weather in quite different ways, most likely because of different abiotic requirements as well as contrasting functional strategies of resource use and biomass allocation. Specifically, annual seed production in Q. canariensis was more severely limited by drought than in Q. suber, but responded positively to warmer spring temperatures. 5. Q. canariensis showed a large interannual variability, whereas Q. suber exhibited much more constant seed production. These two species also exhibited a very low level of synchrony in their temporal patterns of seed crop size, most likely due to phenological differences in the processes of flowering and seed maturation. 6. Synthesis. Our results indicate that weather plays a crucial role as a proximate driver of mastseeding in Mediterranean oaks. We hypothesize that the current abundance of co-occurring species that differ in leaf habit could be altered under future climate change scenarios. The decline of seed production with drier conditions will be potentially greater in deciduous species, particularly those inhabiting wetter sites. Alternatively, the expected warmer temperatures could negatively affect evergreen species as a consequence of their more conservative strategy of biomass allocation. Our findings suggest that understanding how species with different functional or phenological attributes adjust their reproductive abilities to weather may enable us to infer the effects of ongoing environmental changes on population recruitment and dynamics. ; We thank the "Consejería de Medio Ambiente" (Andalusian Government) and the technical staff of Los Alcornocales Natural Park, for the facilities and support to carry out our fieldwork. We are very grateful to María Amían, Ana Pozuelos, Rocío Sánchez and other undergraduate students for field assistance. This study was supported by a postdoctoral contract of the Andalusian Government to IMPR, by the Spanish MEC projects Heteromed (REN2002- 4041-C02-02), Dinamed (CGL2005-5830-C03-01) and Interbos (CGL2008-04503-C03-01), and by the Andalusian Anasinque-PE2010-RNM-5782 project. WDK was supported by the National Science Foundation (grant DEB-0816691). ; Peer reviewed

11 páginas.-- 5 figuras.-- 2 tablas.-- Supplementary data related to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.07.009. ; The revegetation of polluted sites and abandoned agricultural soils is critical to reduce soil losses and to control the spread of soil pollution in the Mediterranean region, which is currently exposed to the greatest soil erosion risk in Europe. However, events of massive plant mortality usually occur during the first years after planting, mainly due to the adverse conditions of high irradiance and drought stress. Here, we evaluated the usefulness of considering the positive plant–plant interactions (facilitation effect) in the afforestation of polluted agricultural sites, using pre-existing shrubs as nurse plants. We used nurse shrubs as planting microsites for acorns of Quercus ilex (Holm oak) along a gradient of soil pollution in southwestern Spain, and monitored seedling growth, survival, and chemical composition during three consecutive years. Seedling survival greatly increased (from 20% to more than 50%) when acorns were sown under shrub, in comparison to the open, unprotected matrix. Facilitation of seedling growth by shrubs increased along the gradient of soil pollution, in agreement with the stress gradient hypothesis that predicts higher intensity of the facilitation effects with increasing abiotic stress. Although the accumulation of trace elements in seedling leaves was higher underneath shrub, the shading conditions provided by the shrub canopy allowed seedlings to cope with the toxicity provoked by the concurrence of low pH and high trace element concentrations in the most polluted sites. Our results show that the use of shrubs as nurse plants is a promising tool for the cost-effective afforestation of polluted lands under Mediterranean conditions. Keywords ; the research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement n° 603498 (RECARE), and from the Regional Ministry of Environment (Junta de Andalucía) within the SECOVER and ANASINQUE projects (PGC2010-RNM-5782). M.T.D. was supported by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral grant awarded to by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. We are grateful to José María Alegre for his help at different stages of the study. ; Peer reviewed

19 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables, 36 references. ; The failure of a tailing pond dam at the Aznalco´ llar pyrite mine (SW Spain) in April 1998 released a toxic spill affecting approximately 4300 ha along the Agrio and Guadiamar valleys.T wo years later, we have studied yield and concentration of mineral nutrients and trace elements in sunflower plants grown in the spill-affected soil, and in an adjacent unaffected soil as comparison.The study has been carried out in plants at seedling (V4) and mature (R8) stages.Shoot and root biomass of sunflower seedlings was significantly smaller in the affected soil than in the unaffected soil, but there was no significant difference at the mature stage.Oil production was greater in the spillaffected plants.W e have not detected any 'fertilising' effect caused by the acid waters of the spill on the main nutrient (N, P and Ca) acquisition, as documented in 1998 for sunflower plants flooded by the spill.Sunflower plants growing in the spill-affected soil reached adequate levels of nutrients.None of the trace elements measured—As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Tl—reached levels either phytotoxic or toxic for humans or animals in seeds and the above-ground part of the spill-affected plants.W e evaluate the potential use of sunflower plants for phytoremediation. The potential for phytoextraction is very low; however, it may be used for soil conservation.The production of oil (usable for industrial purposes) may add some value to this crop. ; This study was carried out in the framework of the 'Programa de Investigación del Corredor Verde (PICOVER)', supported with funds of the 'Consejería de Medio Ambiente' of the Regional Government (Junta de Andalucía), Spain. ; Peer reviewed

Fungi play a key role in the functioning of soil in terrestrial ecosystems, and in particular in the remediation of degraded soils. The contribution of fungi to carbon and nutrient cycles, along with their capability to mobilise soil trace elements, is well-known. However, the importance of life history strategy for these functions has not yet been thoroughly studied. This study explored the soil-fungi relationship of two wild edible fungi, the ectomycorrhizal Laccaria laccata and the saprotroph Volvopluteus gloiocephalus. Fruiting bodies and surrounding soils in a mine-spill contaminated area were analysed. Isotope analyses revealed Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies were 15N-enriched when compared to Volvopluteus gloiocephalus, likely due to the transfer of 15N-depleted compounds to their host plant. Moreover, Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies δ13C values were closer to host plant values than surrounding soil, while Volvopluteus gloiocephalus matched the δ13C composition to that of the soil. Fungal species presented high bioaccumulation and concentrations of Cd and Cu in their fruiting bodies. Human consumption of these fruiting bodies may represent a toxicological risk due to their elevated Cd concentrations. ; This work was supported by European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) [grant number 603498 - RECARE], and Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities [grants number CGL2014–52858-R – RESTECO and CGL2017–82254-R - INTARSU]. MGM was supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [grant number BES-2015–073882], and MTD by a postdoctoral grant by Universidad de Sevilla (V Plan Propio de Investigación) ; Peer reviewed

4 páginas.-- 1 figura.-- 1 tabla.-- 14 referencias.-- ; Trees modify the physico-chemical and biological properties of the soil underneath. Here we present results for seven tree species planted at a site that was contaminated by a mine spill – after which soil was cleaned up and remediated – and later was afforested. We studied the chemical composition (24 elements) in five ecosystem compartments (leaves, forest floor, roots, topsoil and deep soil). The variation in chemical concentration was highest at the level of canopy leaves and lowest at deep soil. The identity of tree species significantly affected the composition of all elements in the canopies but none in the deep soil underneath. Although the observed tree effects on topsoil chemistry were weak, the footprint is expected to be reinforced with age of the plantation, contributing to the phytostabilization of contaminating elements and to the carbon sequestration. ; Thanks to J. M. Alegre for helping during sampling and to P. Burgos for chemical analyses. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 603498 (RECARE) and from the Spanish RESTECO (CGL2014-52858-R) project. ; Peer reviewed

10 pages, 7 figures, 20 references.-- Conference Proceedings: Trees beyond the wood, Sheffield, Hallam University, 5-7, september, 2012. ; The concept of ecosystem services, meaning the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, has gained widespread acceptance among scientists, managers and politicians since its use in the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005). Trees, woods and forests provide direct provisioning services (timber, fuel, food, meat), indirect regulating services (air and water quality, mitigation of climate change, soil protection), and cultural services (recreation, aesthetic, landscape, historic and cultural values) all of them contributing to human well-being. The analysis and evaluation of the variety of ecosystem services provided by trees and woods make people aware of how dependent we are, in so many ways – food, economy, culture, psychology – of this natural capital. The study of the trends of ecosystem services and the drivers promoting their changes can be used as a valuable tool for a better management of trees and woods avoiding their degradation. The research on ecosystem services has increased during the last decade impelled by diffusion of the MEA report (Vihervaara et al., 2010). For example, in 2010 up to 148 papers were published in indexed journals, with the keywords "ecosystem services" and "forest" representing about 20% of the total number of papers on ecosystem services. In this work we present an overview of the main ecosystem services provided by oak trees, woodlands and forests in southern Spain, and the main conclusions obtained from the evaluation of their trends and drivers of change (see Marañón et al., 2012). ; The present research was supported by the Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment within the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment in Andalusia, and also by the Andalusian Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Science within the Research Project ANASINQUE (PE2010-RNM-5782). ; Peer reviewed

11 pages, 4 figures, 20 references. We thank the "Consejería de Medio Ambiente" (Andalusian Government), and Felipe Oliveros, the Director of "Los Alcornocales" Natural Park for the facilities and support to carry out our field work. We thank Ana Murillo, Juan Rubio, Francisco Conde, Miguel Ángel Calero, Loles Bejarano and Carlos Casimiro for their help in the greenhouse experiment. El libro referenciado ha sido publicado con motivo de Conference Proceedings: Conference held at the University of Huelva on 20-22 october, 2005. Organised bay: Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de Huelva, Spain. Centro de Estudos Florestais, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Portugal. ; The objective of this study is to understand the response of Quercus suber seedlings to light and water, two limiting factors of their growth and survival in Mediterranean woody plants. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to contrast the results from both types of experiments. At the greenhouse experiment, Quercus suber seedlings were grown at three treatments of light (3%, 27% and 100% of incident light) and daily irrigation. When plants had four months old, half of the individuals did not receive any water, so we had then two water treatments (water and drought) within each light treatment. After two months, different variables were measured. At the field experiment, Quercus suber acorns were sown in three microhabitats with different light conditions (open, under tree and deep shade) in "Los Alcornocales" Natural Park (Cádiz). These microhabitats have similar light radiation than the treatments used at the greenhouse experiment. The greenhouse experiment results showed that the acorn mass was important for determining the seedling mass on the first stages, and that importance increased with light limitation. Thus, a greater seedling biomass was strongly associated with a bigger acorn mass under deep shade, but with increasing light levels the association between seedling and acorn mass became lower and non-significant. Quercus suber seedlings responded to light restriction with a decrease in the relative growth rate (RGR) and then the seedlings had lower biomass. This decrease in RGR was mainly caused by a decrease of the net assimilation rate (NAR). However, specific leaf area (SLA) and stem mass ratio (SMR) increased under shade as a way to enhance light capture. The response to water limitation was a general decrease of RGR, but interestingly, the effect of drought was negligible under deep shade conditions. The results of the field experiment were similar to those in the greenhouse experiment, which reinforce the conclusions of this study. Seedlings from open microhabitats (with more light) had a greater biomass than seedlings under tree or deep shade microhabitats. Also, the response to light limitation was an increase of specific leaf area (SLA), an increase in stem mass ratio and stem length. In contrast with the growth data, the survival rate of seedlings after the summer drought was greater under trees than in the open habitats. Then, it seems to exist an uncoupling between growth and survival of Quercus suber seedlings under different conditions. In this way, the best microhabitat for the growth (open microhabitat) is not the best for seedling survival, while medium shade microhabitat seems to be the best suited for Quercus suber regeneration. ; This study was supported by grants PFPU-MEC to IMPR and PFPI-MEC to JLQ (BES- 2003-1716), and by the coordinated Spanish CICYT project HETEROMED (REN2002- 04041-C02). This research is part of the REDBOME and GLOBIMED (www.globimed. net) network on forest ecology. ; Peer reviewed

13 páginas.-- 2 figuras.-- 7 tablas.-- 47 referencias.-- Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.1490/suppinfo.-- Koenig_et_al ; Although the functional basis of variable and synchronous seed production (masting behavior) has been extensively investigated, only recently has attention been focused on the proximate mechanisms driving this phenomenon. We analyzed the relationship between weather and acorn production in 15 species of oaks (genus Quercus) from three geographic regions on two continents, with the goals of determining the extent to which similar sets of weather factors affect masting behavior across species and to explore the ecological basis for the similarities detected. Lag-1 temporal autocorrelations were predominantly negative, supporting the hypothesis that stored resources play a role in masting behavior across this genus, and we were able to determine environmental variables correlating with acorn production in all but one of the species. Standard weather variables outperformed "differential-cue" variables based on the difference between successive years in a majority of species, which is consistent with the hypothesis that weather is linked directly to the proximate mechanism driving seed production and that masting in these species is likely to be sensitive to climate change. Based on the correlations between weather variables and acorn production, cluster analysis failed to generate any obvious groups of species corresponding to phylogeny or life-history. Discriminant function analyses, however, were able to identify the phylogenetic section to which the species belonged and, controlling for phylogeny, the length of time species required to mature acorns, whether they were evergreen or deciduous, and, to a lesser extent, the geographic region to which they are endemic. These results indicate that similar proximate mechanisms are driving acorn production in these species of oaks, that the environmental factors driving seed production in oaks are to some extent phylogenetically conserved, and that the shared mechanisms driving acorn production result in some degree of synchrony among coexisting species in a way that potentially enhances predator satiation, at least when they have acorns requiring the same length of time to mature. ; This study was supported by National Science Foundation grant DEB- 1256394; Andalusian projects Anasinque- PE2010- RNM- 5782, P07- RNM02688, and P10- AGR6501; Spanish MEC projects Heteromed REN2002- 4041- C02- 02, Dinamed CGL2005- 5830- C03- 01, and Interbos CGL2008- 04503- C03- 01; a postdoctoral contract of the Andalusian Government (to IMPR); and a post-doctoral contract of the Operative Program of the European Social Fund (to MDC). ; Peer reviewed

18 páginas.-- 4 figuras.-- 1 tabla.-- 52 referencias.-- Material Suplementario http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0115371#s6 ; ©2014 Perez-Ramos et al. Mast-seeding species exhibit not only a large inter-annual variability in seed production but also considerable variability among individuals within the same year. However, very little is known about the causes and consequences for population dynamics of this potentially large between-individual variability. Here, we quantified seed production over ten consecutive years in two Mediterranean oak species - the deciduous Quercus canariensis and the evergreen Q. suber - that coexist in forests of southern Spain. First, we calibrated likelihood models to identify which abiotic and biotic variables best explain the magnitude (hereafter seed productivity) and temporal variation of seed production at the individual level (hereafter CVi), and infer whether reproductive effort results from the available soil resources for the plant or is primarily determined by selectively favoured strategies. Second, we explored the contribution of between-individual variability in seed production as a potential mechanism of satiation for predispersal seed predators. We found that Q. canariensis trees inhabiting moister and more fertile soils were more productive than those growing in more resource-limited sites. Regarding temporal variation, individuals of the two studied oak species inhabiting these resource-rich environments also exhibited larger values of CVi. Interestingly, we detected a satiating effect on granivorous insects at the tree level in Q. suber, which was evident in those years where between-individual variability in acorn production was higher. These findings suggest that individual seed production (both in terms of seed productivity and inter-annual variability) is strongly dependent on soil resource heterogeneity (at least for one of the two studied oak species) with potential repercussions for recruitment and population dynamics. However, other external factors (such as soil heterogeneity in pathogen abundance) or certain inherent characteristics of the tree might be also involved in this process. ; This study was supported by a postdoctoral contract of the Andalusian Government to IMPR, by the Spanish MEC projects Heteromed (REN2002-4041-C02-02), Dinamed (CGL2005-5830-C03-01), Interbos (CGL2008-04503-C03-01) and Diverbos (CGL2011-30285-C02), by the Andalusian Anasinque-PE2010-RNM-5782 project and the European FEDER funds. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript ; Peer Reviewed