Integrando escalas y métodos LTER para comprender la dinámica global de un espacio protegido de montaña: el Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido

Abstract

Garcia M.B., Alados, C.L., Antor, R., Benito Alonso, J.L., Camarero, J.J., Carmena, F., Errea, P., Fillat, F., Garcia-Gonzalez, R., Garcia-Ruiz, J.M., Gartzia, M., Gomez Garcia, D., Gomez, I., Gonzalez-Samperiz, P., Gutierrez, E. Jimenez, J.J., Lopez-Moreno, J.I., Mata, P., Moreno, A., Montserrat, P., Nuche, P., Pardo, I., Revuelto, J., Rieradevall, M., Saiz, H., Tejero, P., Vicente-Serrano, S., Villagrasa, E., Villar, l., Valero-Garces, B. 2016. Integrating scales and LTER methods to better understand the overall dynamics of a mountain protected space: the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. Ecosistemas 25(1): 19-30. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2016.25-1.04 The Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park and the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC) recently joined the Spanish LTER network. As part of our strategy to understand recent changes in this protected area, we are carrying out a number of projects to evaluate changes at different spatio-temporal scales, using a variety of methods and approaches. We highlight here some of the most consolidated ones: long-term reconstructions from sedimentary lake records and cave speleothemes, the dynamics of one of the few active Iberian glaciers, the physico-chemical components of alpine streams, springs and lakes, the fingerprint of climatic change from ancient trees, changes in the composition and structure of biodiversity of alpine communities, natural and man-made grasslands at different altitudes, and the treeline, and population dynamics of endangered species or habitat indicators. The ecological monitoring shows that changes in both climate and land use, are having a strong influence in the physiognomy and structure of some of the most iconic and abundant habitats in the National Park. However, we found an important spatial variability in some processes, and also that others do not fit the established paradigms. The integration of partial results obtained from different methodologies and approaches diminishes the importance of each perception separately, helps to evaluate current changes in a long-term framework (geological scale), and will serve to validate the forecasts when modeling future environmental scenarios.