Abstract
The Mediterranean Basin is frequently stricken by huge disasters, and it represents an important biodiversity hotspot. Designing a synthetic approach, which is user-friendly with a low cost, that aims to summarize the main climatic factors that determine vegetation geographical ranges is a strategic solution to plan forest restoration actions and quickly act in cases of urgency. Here, we propose an updated version of the Emberger Index, applied to Quercus suber, an emblematic species of many ecosystems in the Mediterranean. Our investigation couples the latest spatially continuous climatic data, a high-resolution distribution map, and modelling techniques. The results evidence the effective benefits of the updated process, with insights into the optimal climatic requirements of a species within its real spatial domain, including projections for the next decades and the detection of putative refugia. Those outputs were not possible before because of a lack of data covering a certain area. Cork oak revealed an excellent study case, able to highlight the potentiality of Emberger’s approach, and understand the ecological amplitude and vulnerabilities of the target species. If genetic information is available, the Emberger Index can even be applied at the haplotype scale, thus benefitting the applied research. Such an index mirrors the optimal plasticity and physiologic characteristics of a species, supporting the decision makers in selecting the correct plants to use in future reforestation and restoration activities.
Highlights
The Mediterranean Basin is a melting pot of human heritage, hosting different cultures, civilizations, lifestyles, and people who share a common climate
The major problem faced was associated with the selection of climatic limiting factors that determine the extension of the Mediterranean bioclimate; for example, Köppen [4] focused on the summer precipitation, Emberger [5] and Aschmann [6], following Giacobbe [7], considered the dryness degree during the warmest season, and Berenger [8] identified different boundaries imposed by summer wetness, winter coldness, climate dryness, or a combination of them
Rivas-Martínez [12] refined the Mediterranean isoclimate by adding further indexes into a more complex system of formulas but focusing on the European countries (North Africa and the Middle East are presently excluded from his bioclimatic map)
Summary
The Mediterranean Basin is a melting pot of human heritage, hosting different cultures, civilizations, lifestyles, and people who share a common climate. The major problem faced was associated with the selection of climatic limiting factors that determine the extension of the Mediterranean bioclimate; for example, Köppen [4] focused on the summer precipitation, Emberger [5] and Aschmann [6], following Giacobbe [7], considered the dryness degree during the warmest season, and Berenger [8] identified different boundaries imposed by summer wetness, winter coldness, climate dryness, or a combination of them. Researchers agree that the seasonality and summer drought should be detected as global traits peculiar to that area, which are useful to fix the area’s geographical limits. Rivas-Martínez [12] refined the Mediterranean isoclimate by adding further indexes into a more complex system of formulas but focusing on the European countries (North Africa and the Middle East are presently excluded from his bioclimatic map). The original formula from the 1930s is presented below (Formula (1)), while the same quotient, using
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
