Shrub encroachment of Iberian dehesas : implications on total forage productivity

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dc.contributor.author Lopez-Diaz, M.L.
dc.contributor.author Rolo, Victor
dc.contributor.author Benitez, R.
dc.contributor.author Moreno, G.
dc.date.accessioned 2016-02-10T09:03:59Z
dc.date.issued 2015-08
dc.description.abstract The Iberian dehesa, a grazed Mediterranean open woodland, is an outstanding example of a silvopastoral system. Shrub encroachment has been proposed as an effective method to facilitate natural tree regeneration and ensure the sustainability of silvopastoral systems. At the same time, shrubs can affect both pasture understory and tree overstory production. The effects of varying intensities of shrub encroachment on the productivity of four forage components of this system—pasture, acorns, shrub browse and tree browse—were tested and the overall metabolisable energy (ME) under different scenarios of vegetation structure was calculated. Two common shrub species with contrasting plant architectures and ecological functions were studied as models: Cistus ladanifer and Retama sphaerocarpa. Cistus negatively affected acorn, tree browse and pasture production, whereas Retama positively affected pasture and browse production and was neutral for acorn production. The highest ME values were found when tree cover was ca. 70 % and C. ladanifer cover was low or R. sphaerocarpa cover was medium. The authors recommend conserving and promoting patched three-layered plots in Iberian dehesas and similar extensive silvopastoral systems where certain shrub species could simultaneously encourage the sustainability of these systems and reinforce (with R. sphaerocarpa) or maintain (with C. ladanifer) their productivity. en_ZA
dc.description.embargo 2016-08-31
dc.description.librarian hb2015 en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorship Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2006-09435/FOR) and the Regional Government of Extremadura (PRI07C044). en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://link.springer.com/journal/10457 en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Lopez-Diaz, ML, Rolo, V, Benitez, R & Moreno, G 2015 'Shrub encroachment of Iberian dehesas : implications on total forage productivity', Agroforestry Systems, vol. 89, no. 4, pp. 587-598. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 0167-4366 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1572-9680 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1007/s10457-015-9793-y
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/51315
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Springer en_ZA
dc.rights © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015. The original publication is available at : http://www.springer.comjournal/13593. en_ZA
dc.subject Forage shrub en_ZA
dc.subject Acorn production en_ZA
dc.subject Cistus ladanifer en_ZA
dc.subject Retama sphaerocarpa en_ZA
dc.subject Pasture yield en_ZA
dc.title Shrub encroachment of Iberian dehesas : implications on total forage productivity en_ZA
dc.type Postprint Article en_ZA


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