Age structure of Juniperus communis L. in the Iberian peninsula: Conservation of remnant populations in Mediterranean mountains

Abstract

We examined the demographic structure of Juniperus communis L. populations in the Mediterranean high mountains of southern Spain in order to analyse its population viability. For this, we compared the age structure of these Mediterranean populations with those of northern Spain (Atlantic), and, on a local scale, the populations of different habitats within the Sierra Nevada. The populations from northern Spain showed age structures with high proportions at young stages. In contrast, the Mediterranean populations proved to be dominated by adult and senescent individuals, except for the few habitats with higher water availability during the summer, which have larger proportions of seedlings and juveniles. Dry habitats showed a lower seedling survival rate than did wet ones, mainly due to summer drought. Both the difference between Atlantic and Mediterranean categories, and the difference between habitats in Sierra Nevada reflect a serious limitation on recruitment of J. communis in Mediterranean mountains due to climatic stress imposed by summer drought. The Mediterranean populations provide a clear example of remnant dynamics, surviving for long periods due to great individual longevity which partially offsets losses to unfavourable environmental conditions. The low ability to recover after anthropic disturbances emphasizes the need for conservation of J. communis populations in south-eastern Spain.