Abstract
This paper analyzes the effect of woodlot size and land-use intensity on the species richness of vascular plants, birds, beetles, and ants in Castanea sativa (chestnut) woodlots of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula included in the category “9260 Castanea sativa woodland”, “Annex I, DC 92/43/European Community”. The results show that the surface area of the woodlot did not affect the richness of vascular plants and ants but did affect birds and beetles. The level of abandonment of the woodlot affected only the richness of vascular plants, while the use level had no significant impact on species richness of any of the groups. The degree of maturity of the woodlot, estimated by the tree-trunk circumference, determined only the richness of plants but not that of different groups of animals. In conclusion: 1) Plants and animals responded differently to woodlot size, abandonment, and the degree of maturity of the woodlots; 2) Traditional agricultural practices do not negatively affect the biodiversity of the chestnut woodlots of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula or favor plant diversity; and 3) A traditional use of these woodlots may continue to play an important role in maintaining the diversity of plant species in the area.
Highlights
In changing landscapes, the spatial distribution of species depends on their biological characteristics and the pattern of land alteration
We focus on four features that influence species richness in woodland patches and analyze to what extent the size and the use of chestnut woodlots affect the richness of vascular plants, birds, ants, and beetles
The analysis showed that the surface area of the woodlot had no significant effect on vascular plant richness (Table 2), but did have an impact on the richness of birds and beetles; contrarily, no effect was found on ants (Table 2)
Summary
The spatial distribution of species depends on their biological characteristics and the pattern of land alteration. The difficulties in predicting the effects of landscape change on biodiversity arise from large differences in species’ dispersal behavior and the unpredictability of patterns of land-use change (Veldkamp & Lambin, 2001 and references therein). The major problems related to the abandonment of agricultural land are biodiversity loss, increased fire frequency and intensity, soil erosion and desertification, loss of cultural and/or aesthetic values, lower landscape diversity, and reduced water provision. The abandonment of agricultural land may benefit humans, including passive revegetation and active reforestation, water regulation, soil recovery, nutrient cycling, and increased biodiversity and wilderness (see Rey Benayas et al, 2007 and references therein). The degree of natural and anthropogenic disturbance at a small scale may influence species dynamics to an equal or greater extent in comparison with perturbation in a larger-scale landscape structure (Debuse et al, 2007)
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