Abstract
AbstractIn the Iberian Peninsula, the cork oak woodlands are of great ecological and socio-economic importance. These savanna-type woodlands are characterized by an herbaceous understorey, dominated by C3 annual species. The productivity and related ecosystem processes of this understorey are highly dependent on timing and magnitude of precipitation events. Climate change scenarios for the Iberian Peninsula suggest not only increasing air temperatures, but also the possibility of decreasing spring precipitation, accompanied by an increase in the interval between precipitation events, which might cause drought conditions to occur, with more severe effects on productivity and ecosystem processes. An experiment was carried out in southern Portugal to assess the effect of a drought treatment, with a subsequent extreme precipitation event, on the herbaceous component of managed cork oak woodland. The facility consisted of five plots with rainout shelters (2.5 x 2.5 m), which exclude normal rainfall inputs (drought treatment), and five non-sheltered control plots (control treatment). In the drought treatment, 193 mm of precipitation was excluded in the period from mid March to mid May, with a subsequent precipitation pulse of 50 mm in the middle of May. Variables measured included productivity, plant community composition, soil respiration and soil microbial activity.
Highlights
The work presented here was carried out in a montado in Portugal
One can find them in Portugal and Spain, and in Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia, the south of France, and Corsica and Sardinia
Montados play an important ecological role in carbon sequestration, water retention and soil conservation, the latter being important for combating desertification
Summary
Effect of induced drought during the growing period on productivity and C and N dynamics. Effect of extreme event (precipitation pulse) on soil respiration and microbial activity. We wanted to gather data on the effects of an induced drought during the growing period on productivity and on carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Our second objective was to study the effect of this precipitation pulse on soil respiration and microbial activity. The site is an improved montado, which means that a few years prior to the experiment the field was rotavated and reseeded with a legume-rich mixture. The shelters were 2.5 by 2.5 m, and provide a means of controlling the input of water.
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