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The use of diachronic spatial approaches and predictive modelling to study the vegetation dynamics of a managed heathland

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Abstract

According to the EU Habitats Directive, heathlands are a semi-natural habitat type of community interest. This status aims at conserving these habitats, especially where and when they are threatened by various changes, including natural vegetation succession. We present results of a study of the dynamics of a typical dry heathland plot located in the Fontainebleau massif (France). An exhaustive observation of vegetation changes were made on this area of four hectares between 2000 and 2008, employing a spatial approach. We recorded the expansion of Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench at the expense of Ericaceae. The potential future vegetation of the site was modelled using Markov chains coupled to a GIS programme. This model predicted a gradual change in the floristic composition of heathland in favour of M. caerulea at the expense of Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull and Erica tetralix L., and the expansion of Pinus sylvestris L. The study demonstrates how spatial methods can contribute to the design of reliable management methods of habitats such as the heathlands.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the ONF, in particular the Unit of Ecological Support for providing the necessary data for this study. We thank the anonymous reviewers for his/her thorough review which significantly contributed to improving the quality of the publication. We are grateful to Sally Reynolds for correcting the English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR MNHN 7179, Adaptive Mechanisms: From Organisms to Communities, 4 Avenue du Petit Château, 91800, Brunoy, France

    Samira Mobaied, Arnault Lalanne & Michel Baguette

  2. Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR MNHN 7179, Adaptive Mechanisms: From Organisms to Communities, 1 Avenue du Petit Château, 91800, Brunoy, France

    Bernard Riera

  3. Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR MNHN 7204, Conservation of Species, Restoration and Monitoring of Populations, 61, rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Nathalie Machon

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  1. Samira Mobaied
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  2. Bernard Riera
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  3. Arnault Lalanne
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  4. Michel Baguette
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Correspondence to Samira Mobaied.

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Mobaied, S., Riera, B., Lalanne, A. et al. The use of diachronic spatial approaches and predictive modelling to study the vegetation dynamics of a managed heathland. Biodivers Conserv 20, 73–88 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9947-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9947-1

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