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Effects on soil, microclimate and vegetation of the native-invasive Retama monosperma (L.) in coastal dunes

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse and quantify the effects of the canopy of the native-invasive N-fixer woody shrub Retama monosperma in the dune ecosystem, affecting the structure and function of the dune environment as well as plant community, in the context of the facilitation mechanism. Air temperature and relative humidity; soil pH, electric conductivity, organic matter (OM) and nutrient content; above and below-ground vegetation biomass, litter mass, species richness and Shannon diversity were determined and compared from sampling plots below the R. monosperma canopy and in canopy gaps within a coastal dune system in SW Spain. The relationships between soil OM and nutrient contents and above and below-ground vegetation biomass, litter mass, species richness and Shannon diversity were also assessed. A predominance of positive interactions was confirmed. The canopy of R. monosperma ameliorated temperature extremes beneath, and soil OM and nutrient concentrations were increased by 188–466%, compared to those found in gaps. Plant biomass increased by 442% beneath the canopy and was composed almost exclusively of herbaceous annuals. Plant diversity was not affected. Plant communities were clearly structured as fertility islands, distributed in an environmentally stressful dune matrix characterized by scarce vegetation cover and low biomass.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Spanish Ministry of Environment (Coastal Delegation) for funding, and the staff of the Marismas del Piedras y Flecha Litoral de El Rompido protected area for their help and support. We are grateful to the Laboratory of Agricultural Research (Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de Sevilla) for the soil chemical analyses. We also thank Dr. M. L. Martínez, for her help in reviewing the manuscript, Z. Romero, M. Muñoz and L. Lucena, for their help in the field. Thanks also to K. MacMillan for translation and revision of the English version of the manuscript.

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  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Sevilla, Ap. 1095, 41080, Sevilla, Spain

    Sara Muñoz Vallés, Juan B. Gallego Fernández, Claudia Dellafiore & Jesús Cambrollé

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  1. Sara Muñoz Vallés
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  2. Juan B. Gallego Fernández
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  3. Claudia Dellafiore
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Correspondence to Sara Muñoz Vallés.

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Muñoz Vallés, S., B. Gallego Fernández, J., Dellafiore, C. et al. Effects on soil, microclimate and vegetation of the native-invasive Retama monosperma (L.) in coastal dunes. Plant Ecol 212, 169–179 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-010-9812-z

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