Abstract
Key MessageThe first bottleneck in Spanish black pine survival through afforestation is the lack of resistance to drought in their initial life stages.Spanish black pine (Pinus nigra Arn ssp. salzmannii) is the most widely distributed pine species in mountain areas of the Mediterranean Basin and is commonly used for afforestation in endangered and degraded areas. Despite its importance, little is known regarding the factors driving seedling survival for this species, which may hamper afforestation success in Mediterranean areas. In this study, we assessed the effects of seed origin and plantation site along a natural gradient with contrasting elevation and climatic conditions in a Mediterranean forest in Central-Eastern Spain. Our results showed: (1) higher seedling survival rates when seed origin differed from plantation site (25.3 ± 5.4%) compared to same origin and plantation site (5.3 ± 2.7%); (2) higher survival probability (~ 20%) for high and medium elevation seeds (colder and wetter locations) compared to the warmer and drier low elevation sites (15%); (3) higher seedling survival (~ 40%) at higher elevation sites compared to low-elevation sites (< 20%); and (4) increased hazard of seedling death with decreasing elevation of the plantation site. We also reported a complete mortality at the drier sites after the first summer following the plantation. Overall, the combination of seeds from medium elevation and high elevation plantation sites increased the survival of Spanish black pine. These results have direct implications for forest management of Spanish black pine in Mediterranean regions, particularly in current and future climate change scenarios.
Highlights
Preventing and reverting ecosystem degradation have become urgent and crucial goals for achieving land and ecosystem sustainability globally (Willemen et al 2020)
This study assessed the effects of seed origin and plantation site on the early recruitment of Spanish black pine along a natural gradient with contrasting elevation and climatic conditions
We found that plantation site is more important than seed origin for the success of early recruitment of Spanish black pine
Summary
Preventing and reverting ecosystem degradation have become urgent and crucial goals for achieving land and ecosystem sustainability globally (Willemen et al 2020). Salzmannii) is the most widely distributed pine species in mountain areas of the Mediterranean Basin (Barbéro et al 1998) (Barbéro et al 1998), and commonly used for afforestation in eroded areas after widespread abandonment of arable land (Campo et al 2019) These pine forests are classified as “habitats of European interest” and require specific conservation measures according to the Convention for the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Resolution 4/1996), due to the lack of successful natural regeneration. Failure in the natural regeneration of Spanish black pine has been associated with unsuitable seed provenance and/or environmental conditions of plantation sites (Bischoff et al 2010; Tíscar-Oliver and Linares 2014) Throughout historical times, this species has disappeared in some habitats due to crown wildfires (Morales-Molino et al 2017) or by interspecific competition, mainly with Pinus pinaster Ait. Throughout historical times, this species has disappeared in some habitats due to crown wildfires (Morales-Molino et al 2017) or by interspecific competition, mainly with Pinus pinaster Ait. (Barbéro et al 1998)
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