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Habitat Fragmentation in Arid Zones: A Case Study of Linaria nigricans Under Land Use Changes (SE Spain)

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Abstract

Habitat fragmentation due to human activities is one of the most important causes of biodiversity loss. In Mediterranean areas the species have co-evolved with traditional farming, which has recently been replaced for more severe and aggressive practices. We use a methodological approach that enables the evaluation of the impact that agriculture and land use changes have for the conservation of sensitive species. As model species, we selected Linaria nigricans, a critically endangered plant from arid and semiarid ecosystems in south-eastern Spain. A chronosequence of the evolution of the suitable habitat for the species over more than 50 years has been reconstructed and several geometrical fragmentation indices have been calculated. A new index called fragmentation cadence (FC) is proposed to quantify the historical evolution of habitat fragmentation regardless of the habitat size. The application of this index has provided objective forecasting of the changes of each remnant population of L. nigricans. The results indicate that greenhouses and construction activities (mainly for tourist purposes) exert a strong impact on the populations of this endangered species. The habitat depletion showed peaks that constitute the destruction of 85% of the initial area in only 20 years for some populations of L. nigricans. According to the forecast established by the model, a rapid extinction could take place and some populations may disappear as early as the year 2030. Fragmentation-cadence analysis can help identify population units of primary concern for its conservation, by means of the adoption of improved management and regulatory measures.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been financed by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (REN2003-09427-C02 project), and the Andalusian Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología de la Junta de Andalucía (RNM 1067 project). The authors are indebted to David Nesbitt for the English translation and to N. Donadio, H. Schwarzeger, L. M. Muñoz-Centeno, J. A. Elena-Rosselló and S. Andrés for their help during field work. Finally, we are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Julio Peñas, Juan Lorite, Miguel Ballesteros & Eva María Cañadas

  2. Departamento de Ecologia, Universidad de Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Blas Benito

  3. Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

    Montserrat Martinez-Ortega

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  1. Julio Peñas
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  2. Blas Benito
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  6. Montserrat Martinez-Ortega
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Correspondence to Julio Peñas.

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Peñas, J., Benito, B., Lorite, J. et al. Habitat Fragmentation in Arid Zones: A Case Study of Linaria nigricans Under Land Use Changes (SE Spain). Environmental Management 48, 168–176 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9663-y

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