Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi-arid Mediterranean grasslands

被引：317

作者：

Maestre, Fernando T. ^{[1
]}

Bowker, Matthew A. ^{[1
]}

Puche, Maria D. ^{[1
]}

Belen Hinojosa, M. ^{[2
,3
]}

Martinez, Isabel ^{[1
]}

Garcia-Palacios, Pablo ^{[1
]}

Castillo, Andrea P. ^{[1
]}

Soliveres, Santiago ^{[1
]}

Luzuriaga, Arantzazu L. ^{[1
]}

Sanchez, Ana M. ^{[1
]}

Carreira, Jose A. ^{[3
]}

Gallardo, Antonio ^{[4
]}

Escudero, Adrian ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] Univ Rey Juan Carlos, Escuela Super Ciencias Expt & Tecnol, Dept Biol & Geol, Area Biodiversidad & Conservac, Mostoles 28933, Spain

[2] Scottish Crop Res Inst, Environm Plant Interact Programme, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland

[3] Univ Jaen, Dept Biol Anim Vegetal & Ecol, Jaen 23071, Spain

[4] Univ Pablo Olavide, Dept Sistemas Fis Quim & Nat, Seville 41013, Spain

来源：

ECOLOGY LETTERS | 2009年 / 12卷 / 09期

关键词：

Desertification; ecosystem functioning; global change; Mediterranean; plant successional dynamics; semi-arid; shrub encroachment; Stipa tenacissima; BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS; ECOSYSTEM; CARBON; WATER; BIODIVERSITY; DIVERSITY; INVASION; BASIN; ACQUISITION;

D O I：

10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x

中图分类号：

Q14 [生态学（生物生态学）];

学科分类号：

071012 ; 0713 ;

摘要：

The worldwide phenomenon of shrub encroachment in grass-dominated dryland ecosystems is commonly associated with desertification. Studies of the purported desertification effects associated with shrub encroachment are often restricted to relatively few study areas, and document a narrow range of possible impacts upon biota and ecosystem processes. We conducted a study in degraded Mediterranean grasslands dominated by Stipa tenacissima to simultaneously evaluate the effects of shrub encroachment on the structure and composition of multiple biotic community components, and on various indicators of ecosystem function. Shrub encroachment enhanced vascular plant richness, biomass of fungi, actinomycetes and other bacteria, and was linked with greater soil fertility and N mineralization rates. While shrub encroachment may be a widespread phenomenon in drylands, an interpretation that this is an expression of desertification is not universal. Our results suggest that shrub establishment may be an important step in the reversal of desertification processes in the Mediterranean region.

引用

页码：930 / 941

页数：12

共 54 条

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