Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Belowground competition for nutrients in shrub-encroached Mediterranean dehesas

  • Published:
Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Managing multilayered silvopastoral systems such as Mediterranean dehesas requires the study of nutrient resource partitioning among coexisting species and determination to what extent soil nutrients are limiting plant growth. We determined the effects of NPK fertilisation maintained over two consecutive years on dry matter production and nutritional status of pasture (herbaceous) species, two shrub species and Quercus ilex L. in two silvopastoral sites with different shrub-layer species. We selected two prominent Mediterranean shrub species that vary in their specific ecological strategies: a N2-fixing and sparse deep-rooting shrub (Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss, Retama site), and a dense shallow-rooting shrub (Cistus ladanifer L., Cistus site). Fertilisation significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased pasture dry mass by 460% and 1,090% in the Retama and Cistus sites, respectively. Nitrogen uptake by pasture species was most stimulated in both sites, and was the major limiting nutrient for this group. At the Cistus site, fertilisation significantly increased leaf dry mass of Q. ilex by 53%, but no significant effect was found at the Retama site. There were no significant effects of fertilisation treatments on dry mass and nutrient status of Retama cladodes and Cistus leaves. Vector analysis revealed that the magnitude of relative changes in nutrient uptake and dry matter production of pasture in response to fertilisation was markedly higher than that of Q. ilex, R. sphaerocarpa and C. ladanifer, suggesting high competitive ability of pasture species for soil nutrients. Results suggest that patterns of soil nutrient partitioning are site-specific and, thus, likely depend on the dominant species in the shrub layer.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  • Aerts R (1995) The advantages of being evergreen. Trends Ecol Evol 10:402–407

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aerts R, Boot RGA, van der Aart PJM (1991) The relation between above- and belowground biomass allocation patterns and competitive ability. Oecologia 87:551–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casper BB, Jackson RB (1997) Plant competition underground. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 28:545–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapin FS III (1980) The mineral nutrition of wild plants. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 11:233–260

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapin FS III, Vitousek PM, Van Cleve K (1986) The nature of nutrient limitation in plant communities. Am Nat 127:48–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado-Baquerizo M, Castillo-Monroy AP, Maestre FT, Gallardo A (2010) Plants and biological soil crusts modulate the dominance of N forms in a semi-arid grassland. Soil Biol Biochem 42:376–378

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eichhorn MP, Paris P, Herzog F, Incoll LD, Liagre F, Mantzanas K, Mayus M, Moreno G, Papanastasis VP, Pilbeam DJ, Pisanelli A, Dupraz C (2006) Silvoarable systems in Europe -past, present and future prospects. Agrofor Syst 67:29–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison AM, Bank MS, Clinton BD, Colburn EA, Elliott K, Ford CR, Foster DR, Kloeppel BD, Knoepp JD, Lovett GM, Mohan J, Orwig DA, Rodenhouse NL, Sobczak WV, Stinson KA, Stone JK, Swan CM, Thompson J, von Holle B, Webster JR (2005) Loss of foundation species: consequences for the structure and dynamics of forested ecosystems. Front Ecol Environ 9:479–486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández-Moya J, San Miguel-Ayanz A, Cañellas I, Gea-Izquierdo G (2010) Variability in Mediterranean annual grassland diversity driven by small-scale changes in fertility and radiation. Plant Ecol. doi:10.1007/s11258-010-9869-8

  • García-Barrios L, Ong CK (2004) Ecological interactions, management lessons and design tools in tropical agroforestry systems. Agrofor Syst 61:221–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons P, Lindenmayer DB, Fisher J, Manning AD, Weinberg A, Seddon J, Ryan P, Barrett G (2008) The future of scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. Conserv Biol 22:1309–1319

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Gutierrez JM, Pérez-Fernández M (1996) The dehesas, silvopastoral systems in semiarid Mediterranean regions with poor soils, seasonal climate and extensive utilisation. In: Étienne M (ed) Western European silvopastoral systems. INRA Editions, Paris, pp 55–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Haase DL, Rose R (1995) Vector analysis and its use for interpreting plant nutrient shifts in response to silvicultural treatments. For Sci 41:54–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Haase P, Pugnaire FI, Fernández EM, Puigdefábregas J, Clark SC, Incoll LD (1996) An investigation of rooting depth of the semiarid shrub Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss. by labelling of ground water with a chemical tracer. J Hydrol 177:23–31

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hector A, Schmid B, Beierkuhnlein C, Caldeira MC, Diemer M, Dimitrakopoulos PG, Finn JA, Freitas H, Giller PS, Good J, Harris R, Högberg P, Huss-Danell K, Joshi J, Jumpponen A, Körner C, Leadley PW, Loreau M, Minns A, Mulder CPH, O’Donovan G, Otway SJ, Pereira JS, Prinz A, Read DJ, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schulze E-D, Siamantziouras A-SD, Spehn EM, Terry AC, Troumbis AY, Woodward FI, Yachi S, Lawton JH (1999) Plant diversity and productivity experiments in European grasslands. Science 286:1123–1127

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Isaac ME, Kimaro AA (2010) Diagnosis of nutrient imbalances with vector analysis in agroforestry systems. J Environ Qual. doi:10.2134/jeq2010.0144

  • IUSS Working Group WRB (2006) World reference base for soil resources 2006, 2nd edn. World Soil Resources Reports No. 103. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahmen A, Renker C, Unsicker S, Buchmann N (2006) Niche complementarity for nitrogen: an explanation for the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationship? Ecology 87:1244–1255

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J, Schroth G (2003) Nutrient leaching. In: Schroth G, Sinclair FL (eds) Trees, crops and soil fertility: concepts and research methods. CABI publishing, Wallingford, pp 151–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Malézieux E, Crozat Y, Dupraz C, Laurans M, Makowski D, Ozier-Lafontaine H, Rapidel B, de Tourdonnet S, Valantin-Morison M (2009) Mixing plant species in cropping systems: concepts, tools and models. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 29:43–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno G, Obrador JJ (2007) Effects of trees and understorey management on soil fertility and nutritional status of holm oaks in Spanish dehesas. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 78:253–264

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno G, Obrador J, Cubera E, Dupraz C (2005) Fine root distribution in dehesas of Central-Western Spain. Plant Soil 277:153–162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno G, Obrador JJ, García A (2007) Impact of evergreen oaks on soil fertility and crop production in intercropped dehesas. Agric Ecosyst Environ 119:270–280

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pulido F, García E, Obrador J, Moreno G (2010) Multiple pathways for tree regeneration in anthropogenic savannas: incorporating biotic and abiotic drivers into management schemes. J Appl Ecol 47:1272–1281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rivest D, Rolo V, López-Díaz L, Moreno G (2011). Shrub encroachment in Mediterranean silvopastoral systems: Retama sphaerocarpa and Cistus ladanifer induce contrasting effects on pasture and Quercus ilex production. Agric Ecosyst Environ (in press)

  • Rodríguez-Echeverría S, Pérez-Fernández MA (2003) Soil fertility and herb facilitation mediated by Retama sphaerocarpa. J Veg Sci 14:807–814

    Google Scholar 

  • Rolo V, Moreno G (2011) Shrub species affect distinctively the functioning of scattered Quercus ilex trees in Mediterranean open woodlands. For Ecol Manag 261:1750–1759

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroth G (1998) A review of belowground interactions in agroforestry, focusing on mechanisms and management options. Agrofor Syst 43:5–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva JS, Rego FC (2004) Root to shoot relationships in Mediterranean woody plants from Central Portugal. Biologia 59:109–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephan K, Fürst A, Hacker R, Bartels U (1997) Forest foliar conditions in Europe—results of large-scale foliar chemistry surveys, 1995. EC, UN/ECE, Brussels/Geneve

    Google Scholar 

  • Valladares F, Martinez-Ferri E, Balaguer L, Perez-Corona E, Manrique E (2000) Low leaf-level response to light and nutrients in Mediterranean evergreen oaks: a conservative resource-use strategy? New Phytol 148:79–91

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The project was supported financially by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (project MODE, AGL2006-09435/FOR) and the plan regional de Investigación de la Junta de Extremadura (III PRI+D+I, PRI07C044). David Rivest was awarded a postdoctoral research grant from the Fonds québécois de recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT). Víctor Rolo was supported by a doctoral grant funded by the Regional Government of Extremadura and the Fondo Social Europeo. We thank Antonio Garcia for technical assistance, and William F.J. Parsons and Miren Lorente for improving the language of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry School, Universidad de Extremadura, Plasencia, 10600, Spain

    David Rivest, Víctor Rolo, M. Lourdes López-Díaz & Gerardo Moreno

  2. Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, QC, G1K 7P4, Canada

    David Rivest

Authors
  1. David Rivest
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Víctor Rolo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Lourdes López-Díaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gerardo Moreno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerardo Moreno.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rivest, D., Rolo, V., López-Díaz, M.L. et al. Belowground competition for nutrients in shrub-encroached Mediterranean dehesas. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 90, 347–354 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-011-9436-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-011-9436-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation