The influence of slope angle on sediment, water and seed losses on badland landscapes

Abstract By means of simulated rainfall the influence of the slope angle on the soil, water and seed erosion has been studied on badland surfaces. Slope angle has a clear positive effect controlling soil erodibility and erosion rates, but it does not have any influence on the volume of runoff after 40 minutes of rain at an intensity of 55 mm h−1. In contrast, slope angle has a clear influence on runoff initiation, with cracks and crusts as the main factors controlling the time to ponding and time to runoff. Both ponding and runoff initiation start earlier on pediments than on slopes, where more cracks exist. Steady-state infiltration rates and seed losses have an inverse relationships with …

Premio “Ecosistemas” al mejor resumen de Tesis Doctoral publicado en 2013

Is seed availability enough to ensure colonization success?

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that seed availability is a limiting factor for plant colonization of road embankments under Mediterranean climate conditions. Experimental sowing on 10 road embankments was carried out to compare the colonization success of plants that successfully colonize the road embankment and species that appear only occasionally in the road embankments. After sowing, we measured plant establishment, biomass production, and reproductive capacity of the species. The species that appear only occasionally in the road embankments had lower emergence rates (l.l ± 0.3%) than species that were successful colonizers (18.8 ± 2.9%). None of the species of the former group survi…

Seed germination and seedling allogamy in Rosmarinus officinalis: the costs of inbreeding.

Self‐pollination by geitonogamy is likely in self‐compatible plants that simultaneously expose a large number of flowers to pollinators. However, progeny of these plants is often highly allogamous. Although mechanisms to increase cross‐pollination have been identified and studied, their relative importance has rarely been addressed simultaneously in plant populations. We used Rosmarinus officinalis to explore factors that influence the probability of self‐fertilisation due to geitonogamy or that purge its consequences, focusing on their effects on seed germination and allogamy rate. We experimentally tested the effect of geitonogamy on the proportion of filled seeds and how it influences ge…

Limitations to plant establishment on eroded slopes in southeastern Spain

10 páginas, 3 figuras, 3 tablas, 1 apéndice.

La reserva de semillas en una cuenca de "badlands" (Petrer, Alicante)

In order to determine the influence of erosion in the absence of vegetation of badlands slopes, the seed content of the regolith and the seed removal by runoff in five storms were analyzed in an experimental catchment at Petrer (Alicante). Both, seed redistribution and seed loss were detected, but these seem to be insufficient to explain the lack of vegetation. It is hypothesized that besides the erosion process, factors such as pedoclimate, and chemical and physical properties of the regolith should be considered.

Phylogeny, biogeography, and morphological ancestral character reconstruction in the Mediterranean genus Fumana (Cistaceae)

Fumana is a diverse genus of the Cistaceae family, consisting of 21 currently accepted species. In this study, nuclear (ITS) and plastid (matK, trnT‐L) molecular markers were used to reconstruct the phylogeny and to estimate divergence times, including 19 species of Fumana. Phylogenetic analyses (Bayesian Inference, Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood) confirmed the monophyly of Fumana and did not support the infrageneric divisions previously established. The results support four main clades that group species that differ in vegetative and reproductive characters. Given the impossibility to define morphological characters common to all species within the clades, our proposal is to reje…

Seed population dynamics on badland slopes in southeastern Spain

6 páginas, figuras, tablas.

Ecological and historical determinants of population genetic structure and diversity in the Mediterranean shrubRosmarinus officinalis(Lamiaceae)

Population genetic studies of widespread Mediterranean shrubs are scarce compared with those of trees and narrow endemics or studies from phylogeographical perspectives, despite the key role these species may play in Mediterranean ecosystems. Knowledge on the effect of ecological factors in shaping their genetic patterns is also limited. In this study we investigate genetic diversity and population structure across 18 populations of Rosmarinus officinalis, a Mediterranean shrubland plant. Populations were sampled along two elevational gradients, one each on calcareous and siliceous soils in a mountain system in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, to decipher the effect of ecological factors on t…

Análisis de la distribución del tamaño de parches de vegetación como indicador de degradación de los encinares mediterráneos

[ES] La monitorización y la gestión de la Desertificación requieren de indicadores útiles y sencillos de aplicar que detecten a tiempo el momento crítico antes de que ésta sea irreversible. El presente trabajo analiza la universalidad de uno de estos indicadores, la relación entre número y tamaño de parches de vegetación, cuyo uso ha sido recomendado para monitorizar la desertificación, aplicándolo a encinares del Sistema Ibérico a lo largo de gradientes simultáneos de aridez y de uso.

Data from: Ecological and historical determinants of population genetic structure and diversity in the Mediterranean shrub Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae)

Population genetic studies of widespread Mediterranean shrubs are scarce compared with those of trees and narrow endemics or studies from phylogeographical perspectives, despite the key role these species may play in Mediterranean ecosystems. Knowledge on the effect of ecological factors in shaping their genetic patterns is also limited. In this study we investigate genetic diversity and population structure across 18 populations of Rosmarinus officinalis, a Mediterranean shrubland plant. Populations were sampled along two elevational gradients, one each on calcareous and siliceous soils in a mountain system in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, to decipher the effect of ecological factors on t…