Abstract
BackgroundIn Mediterranean mountain socio-ecosystems, both grazing by livestock and the dry season may influence tree regeneration. However, the relative contributions of these drivers are poorly known, even though present and future canopy composition might result from past and present variations in climate and herbivore density. This study aims to test how semi-feral cattle presence and season affect tree regeneration.MethodsThe study was conducted using permanent plots inside and outside a cattle exclosure in an old-growth Mediterranean forest. Saplings and seedlings were counted five times per year (winter, early spring, middle spring, summer, fall) and monitored over 7 yrs.ResultsSemi-feral cattle exclusion increased Acer, Fagus, Ilex, Pinus, Prunus and Quercus sapling densities and increased Acer, Fraxinus, Ilex, Quercus and Sorbus seedling densities. Interestingly, the dry season did not exert any noticeable effects on the sapling or seedling densities of any of the studied taxa.DiscussionSemi-feral cattle presence may limit tree regeneration through taxon-dependent effects, which suggests that the current decrease in grazing livestock across the Mediterranean basin will modify recruitment processes and, likely, future forest composition.ConclusionsSemi-feral cattle presence acts as a selective driver of tree community composition.
Highlights
In Mediterranean mountain socio-ecosystems, both grazing by livestock and the dry season may influence tree regeneration
Semi-feral cattle presence acts as a selective driver of tree community composition
The present paper describes how grazing by large semi-feral cattle affects tree regeneration in a mixed old-growth Mediterranean mountain forest in which cattle have been present for centuries (Fortuny et al 2014, 2017)
Summary
In Mediterranean mountain socio-ecosystems, both grazing by livestock and the dry season may influence tree regeneration. Summer grazing in Mediterranean mountain areas has historically been an important socio-economical activity, as it provides livestock with essential nutritional supplements during the dry and warm seasons (Casasùs et al 2007). The regeneration impacts attributed to livestock vary based on grazer characteristics (Marquardt et al 2009) These differences may stem from both animal diet selection and seedling/sapling species characteristics like compensatory growth ability after defoliation (Kupferschmid 2017). Herbivore presence may facilitate seedling emergence, growth and survival by removing competitive or inhibiting plants, e.g. grass and shrubs, or exposing bare ground though trampling, which can create regeneration niches (Kuiters et al 1996; Perrin et al 2006)
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