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Modifying rainfall patterns in a Mediterranean shrubland: system design, plant responses, and experimental burning

International Journal of Biometeorology volume 56, pages 1033–1043 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Global warming is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts in the Mediterranean region, as well as the occurrence of large fires. Understanding the interactions between drought, fire and plant responses is therefore important. In this study, we present an experiment in which rainfall patterns were modified to simulate various levels of drought in a Mediterranean shrubland of central Spain dominated by Cistus ladanifer, Erica arborea and Phillyrea angustifolia. A system composed of automatic rainout shelters with an irrigation facility was used. It was designed to be applied in vegetation 2 m tall, treat relatively large areas (36 m2), and be quickly dismantled to perform experimental burning and reassembled back again. Twenty plots were subjected to four rainfall treatments from early spring: natural rainfall, long-term average rainfall (2 months drought), moderate drought (25% reduction from long-term rainfall, 5 months drought) and severe drought (45% reduction, 7 months drought). The plots were burned in late summer, without interfering with rainfall manipulations. Results indicated that rainfall manipulations caused differences in soil moisture among treatments, leading to reduced water availability and growth of C. ladanifer and E. arborea in the drought treatments. However, P. angustifolia was not affected by the manipulations. Rainout shelters had a negligible impact on plot microenvironment. Experimental burns were of high fire intensity, without differences among treatments. Our system provides a tool to study the combined effects of drought and fire on vegetation, which is important to assess the threats posed by climate change in Mediterranean environments.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (SECCIA, CGL2006-06914), the 7th FP of the European Commission (FUME, GA 243888) and Caja de Guadalajara. We thank the “Quintos de Mora” staff, in particular J.M. Sebastián and C. Rodríguez for facilitating the installation, maintenance and operation of our experiment. We also thank S. Grootemaat, A. Vázquez, A. Pardo and L. Díaz for their field assistance and colleagues from UCLM Ecology Lab and NitroEurope team who assisted us during the burning. AP received a FPI grant funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and VR was partly funded by the European Social Fund.

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Author notes

  1. David A. Ramírez

    Present address: Programa de Doctorado en Recursos Hídricos, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Perú

  2. Víctor Resco

    Present address: Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, 2753, Richmond, NSW, Australia

Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 45071, Toledo, Spain

    Antonio Parra, David A. Ramírez, Víctor Resco, Ángel Velasco & José M. Moreno

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  1. Antonio Parra
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Correspondence to José M. Moreno.

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Supplementary Fig. 1

Schematic representation of the rainout shelter and irrigation system. A folded plastic shelter, B gutter, C motor for unfolding the shelter, D water sprayer at the central location, E pipeline system, F water counter, G partially buried iron sheet to divert surface water flow, H iron piece cemented into the soil used to fit the structure, I impermeable asphalt plates to exclude rainfall around the plot (these were established following the experimental fire)

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Parra, A., Ramírez, D.A., Resco, V. et al. Modifying rainfall patterns in a Mediterranean shrubland: system design, plant responses, and experimental burning. Int J Biometeorol 56, 1033–1043 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-011-0517-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-011-0517-3

Keywords

  • Climate change
  • Drought
  • Fire
  • Plant growth
  • Rainout shelter
  • Water availability