Abstract
The Tula watershed in Mexico, located in a semiarid and sub-humid climate zone, is experiencing intensive population growth, the expansion of mining concessions for construction materials, and agricultural and urban development, resulting in the degradation of soils and vegetation and a greater demand on natural resources. The aims of this study were to evaluate the survival rates and identify potential habitats within the Tula watershed for planting three non-native forage species (Atriplex canescens, Cynodon dactylon, and Leucaena collinsii) using the Kaplan-Meier estimator and the MaxEnt model with the purpose of rehabilitating degraded soils via agroforestry systems. There were 19 edaphoclimatic variables used and the occurrences of three species, obtained from the GBIF, MEXU, and SNIB databases. The models generated with MaxEnt were very accurate (area under the curve [AUC] ≥ 0.7). The species Atriplex canescens and Cynodon dactylon showed areas of potential planting sites (>0.4) and high survival rates (80% and 92%, respectively). The species Leucaena collinsii presented areas with lower potential planting (<0.4) but registered the greater survival rate (100%). The results provide a solid basis to evaluate the survival rates of forage species within potential planting sites in the Tula watershed using agroforestry systems to rehabilitate degraded soils.
Highlights
Accepted: 2 February 2022Soil degradation is the loss of the intrinsic physical, chemical, and/or biological qualities of soil either by natural or anthropogenic processes, which reduces the ecosystem’s ability to produce goods and services [1]
The results indicate that 90.7% of the shrubs and the grass established in the experiThe results indicate the shrubs the 3grass established in the(Table experimental plot remained alivethat after beingofevaluated forand
Environmental modeling using the Kaplan-Meier estimator and the MaxEnt algorithm made it possible to determine the survivorship within potential plantation areas of the three non-native species within the Tula watershed; the simulation models can be used to plan the introduction of non-native species
Summary
Accepted: 2 February 2022Soil degradation is the loss of the intrinsic physical, chemical, and/or biological qualities of soil either by natural or anthropogenic processes, which reduces the ecosystem’s ability to produce goods and services [1]. Soil rehabilitation and conservation can be carried out by vegetative, agronomic, mechanical or a combination of these practices. Agroforestry is one of the vegetative practices [3] that can significantly improve degraded soils by reducing surface runoff and erosion, reducing the effect of raindrops on the soil surface, and improving soil quality and recovery [4,5] as well as ensuring the continuity of tree strata [6]. Agroforestry requires that the chosen species (native and non-native) for rehabilitating are compatible with the biophysical requirements [7,8] and with the social, economic, and cultural environment of the proposed planting site [9]. The main goal when selecting species for rehabilitation purposes is to achieve high plant survival and growth rates during the field establishment stage. The adaptive capacity of the species is determined by the Published: 8 February 2022
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.
