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Acacia saligna Plantation Impact on Soil Surface Properties and Vascular Plant Species Composition in Central Tunisia

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 23; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/15324980802599209

1532-4990

Salma Derbel, Jordi Cortina, Mohamed Chaïeb,

Soil erosion and sediment transport

Abstract Exotic species have been widely used in reforestation in arid areas in northern Africa, as they provide ecosystem services that native species may be unable to supply. But information on their effect on ecosystem function and composition is scarce. We have evaluated the effect of 20-year-old Acacia saligna (Labill.) H.L. Wendl. plantations on the soil surface conditions and vascular plant composition in central Tunisia. Landscape function analysis (LFA) indices of soil stability, infiltration, and nutrient recycling underneath A. saligna increased by 1%, 138%, and 148%, respectively, in comparison to bare areas. This species, however, did not affect indicators of soil surface functionality, the spatial pattern of resource sinks-sources, or vascular plant species composition at a plot scale. This was probably due to low A. saligna cover, and a limited degree of litter incorporation into the soil surface. Our results suggest that the potential for improving ecosystem function and fostering succession by using this species seems to be limited in this arid environment. Keywords: ecosystem functionexotic specieslandscape function analysis (LFA) We thank Susana Bautista, Roman Trubat, Marian Pérez, David Tongway, Fernando T. Maestre, Angeles García-Mayor, and Peter Fulé for their help in several phases of this study, and to Marti J. Anderson, Department of Statistics, University of Auckland for making PERMANOVA available. JC appreciates support from Secretaría de Estado de Universidades e Investigación, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Ayudas movilidad profesorado, PR2006–0375), and thanks ERI and the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University for their hospitality during the period when this chapter was drafted. Research funded by the Ibero-Tunisian Research Cooperation (AECI, 41/04/P/E), Ministerio de Medio Ambiente (project ESTRES, 063/SGTB/2007/7.1), and Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (project GRACCIE; Programa Consolider-Ingenio 2010). Notes F 1,6 = 0.02; p = 0.904; F 1,6 = 1.81; p = 0.227; F 1,6 = 1.39; p = 0.283; F 1,6 = 1.32; p = 0.295. F 1,6 = 0.04; p = 0.851; F 1,6 = 2.75; p = 0.147; F 1,6 = 2.03; p = 0.204. NA: not applicable. From Tongway and Hindley, Citation1995, Citation2003; available at http://www.cse.csiro.au/research/EFA/index.htm. CO1 to CO4: control plots, AC1 to AC4: plots planted with A. saligna. H: hemicryptophyte, Ch: chamephyte, G: geophyte, Nph: nanophanerophyte, Th: therophyte, Par: parasite, H: herbaceous, L: woody.