Abstract
Coraebus florentinus (Herbst) is a wood borer beetle that damages the most abundant Quercus species making up the Mediterranean forests. Damage is due to the feeding activity of the larvae which cuts the sap flow into the branch where it develops, drying it. In the last decades, the geographical range and the damage records of this species have expanded northwardly as a result of the climate global change since warmer conditions favor higher reproduction and quicker development of this species. On this paper, historical series of data after ten years evaluating damages by C. florentinus in Hornachuelos Natural Park (Southern Spain) are analyzed under the perspective of the environmental temperature increase linked to the global climate change. The assessment was done between 2007 and 2017, in two sampling plots of Mediterranean mixed-oak forests where holm and cork oaks are the predominant tree species. Results show that the infestation levels of this species at the beginning of the assessment period were higher than those described previously in the nineties and that they increased progressively during the monitoring time. The results also agree with the expansion of its distribution areas noticed in other areas of Europe. The foreseeable rising of damages of C. florentinus is discussed, at greater scale, under the perspective of future scenery of environmental warming and oaks decaying by losing fitness due to higher soil aridity.
Highlights
IntroductionThe challenge of guaranteeing natural resources for future implies sustainable management of the forests, protection of relic preserved spaces and restoration of disturbed zones [2]
Coraebus florentinus (Herbst) is a wood borer beetle that damages the most abundant Quercus species making up the Mediterranean forests
Field work was carried out in a natural space belonging to the Hornachuelos Natural Park and is included in the area of environmental improvement linked to the construction of the Breña dam [4]
Summary
The challenge of guaranteeing natural resources for future implies sustainable management of the forests, protection of relic preserved spaces and restoration of disturbed zones [2]. In agreement with these statements, the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC, 1992), relative to the conservation of unmanaged habitats and of wild fauna and flora, established the obligation of taking all the compensatory measures necessaries to ensure the overall coherence of Nature 2000 Net (European Ecological Network for Conservation of Biodiversity [3]). Being part of these actions, between 2007 and 2017, the research project titled “Study and Monitoring Plan of wood borer beetles damaging Quercus species” has been developed, including the assessment and monitoring of damage caused by Coraebus florentinus (Herbst, 1801)
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