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Lithology modulates the response of water limited Mediterranean ecosystems to aridification

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Abstract

Context

Macrochloa tenacissima (L.) Kunth (= Stipa tenacissima L.), also defined as Alpha grass steppes, form the main dryland ecosystems throughout the Mediterranean region. Recent studies suggest that ongoing climate change will lead to a sequence of changes in them, including modifications in the composition of vegetation and reduction in vegetation cover and biomass, which will diminish plant-derived organic inputs into the soil. These changes are expected to affect the spatial arrangement of vegetation and the ecosystem’s water-nutrient balance, as well as the microbial populations in the underlying soil. In addition, the lithological legacy affecting soil hydrological properties might modulate the effects of aridity.

Objectives

With this study, we wanted to evaluate the interactive effects of the lithological legacy on soil water availability and aridification on vegetation cover, spatial structure, and composition, and on soil microbial biomass.

Methods

We combined field data, including plant composition and soil physicochemical and biological properties, with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images collected at eight study sites along two different altitudinal-aridity gradients with contrasting lithologies in a space-for-time substitution approach to explain the role of lithological legacies on soil properties in aridification. High-resolution UAV images were used to determine the vegetation cover and three spatial metrics related with the hydrological connectivity within the study areas. Soil microbial biomass was estimated using the substrate-induced respiration method.

Results

Aridification was critical to explaining changes in vegetation coverage, diversity, richness, and spatial distribution, reducing plant cover, and promoting dominance of small round isolated vegetation patches. By modulating soil physicochemical properties, lithology interacted with aridity controlling the variations in plant composition and the changes in soil microbial biomass along the altitudinal aridity gradients. This may have also affected nutrient cycling, thus determining the response of the ecosystem to aridification.

Conclusion

According to our results, the effect of the lithology legacy on soil properties interacts with aridity, determining the response of M. tenacissima steppes to aridification, as it modifies water availability on soil and plant composition, leading to differences in microbial biomass. Thus, both factors should be considered in the development of management strategies aimed for reducing and mitigating the negative impacts of climate change and aridification in drylands.

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Data availability

The data used in these analyses are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We want to acknowledge Manuel Sánchez Robles and Jose Luis Molina for their advice during field surveys and posterior plant identification, Carlos Urueta Urueta for his contribution to soils sampling and Manuel Salvador Ramón for his assistance during soil analysis in the laboratory. We also want to express our gratitude to Cecilio Oyonarte for his support and help during microbial biomass analysis.

Funding

This research was funded by the RH2O-ARID (P18-RT-5130) project founded by the Junta de Andalucia with European Union funds for regional development and the CRUST R-Forze (PID2021-127631NA-I00) projects funded by FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Inovacion-Agencia Estatal de Investigación; and the (UAL2020-RNM-A2051) project I + D + I UAL-FEDER”, funded by the FEDER Andalucía 2014–2020 through the Spanish National Plan for Research and the European Union, including European Funds for Regional Development. This paper is also part of the project TED2021-132332B-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and European Unión “NextGenerationEU”/PRTR. BRL was funded by the FPU predoctoral fellowship from the Educational, Culture, and Sports Ministry of Spain (FPU17/01886). ERC was supported by the Ramon y Cajal fellowship (RYC2020-030762-I). JFMS was funded by a predoctoral grant from the University of Almeria (CPRE2023-045).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agronomy Department, University of Almería, 04120, Almería, Spain

    Borja Rodríguez-Lozano, Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero, Juan F. Martínez-Sánchez & Yolanda Cantón

  2. Research Centre for Scientific Collections from the University of Almería (CECOUAL), 04120, Almería, Spain

    Borja Rodríguez-Lozano, Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero, Esther Giménez-Luque & Yolanda Cantón

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  1. Borja Rodríguez-Lozano
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Contributions

BRL, ERC and YC carried out the conceptualization. BRL, EGL and JFMS performed field surveys and laboratory analysis. ERC and JFMS performed the processing of UAV images. BRL, ERC, YC done data analyses. YC and ERC were responsible for the funding acquisition. BRL wrote the original draft and developed the figures. All authors contributed to the review and editing.

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Correspondence to Borja Rodríguez-Lozano or Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero.

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Rodríguez-Lozano, B., Rodríguez-Caballero, E., Martínez-Sánchez, J.F. et al. Lithology modulates the response of water limited Mediterranean ecosystems to aridification. Landsc Ecol 38, 3115–3132 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-023-01767-y

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