1
|
Candel-Pérez D, Lucas-Borja ME, Plaza-Álvarez PA, Carmona Yáñez MD, Soria R, Ortega R, Miralles I, Miralha L, Zema DA. Effects of grazing on soil properties in mediterranean forests (Central-Eastern Spain). JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 354:120316. [PMID: 38382429 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Traditional management practices, such as grazing, can have adverse impact on soils. Despite an extensive body of literature exploring the effects of grazing on soil and plants worldwide, there is a notable lack of research on its impacts in Mediterranean forests within the Iberian Peninsula Furthermore, there is a knowledge gap on the enzymatic activities and basal respiration of soil in forest after grazing. To address these gaps, this study aimed to investigate the impact of grazing on various important physicochemical and biological soil properties along with vegetation richness in a Mediterranean forest located in Castilla-La Mancha (Central Eastern Spain). Relative to undisturbed sites, grazing significantly reduced soil water content (-53%) and available water (-59%). However, soil hydraulic conductivity remained unaffected by animal trampling and the soil water repellency observed in ungrazed sites disappeared. Grazed soils experienced a slight increase in pH (+18%). Among the biochemical properties studied, only dehydrogenase showed a significant increase (+100%) while basal respiration exhibited a notable decrease (-24%). Grazing resulted in a reduction of plant species richness (-34%) indicating a loss of biodiversity in grazed areas. The observed significant alterations in key soil and plant properties due to livestock activity suggest that grazing has the potential to modify the overall soil quality of these sites. Certain variables that exhibited noteworthy differences between grazed and ungrazed sites could serve as indicators of grazing impacts in Mediterranean forests. These indicators may be considered proxies for establishing effective land management strategies to mitigate degradation in the Mediterranean forest ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Candel-Pérez
- iuFOR, EiFAB, Campus Duques de Soria, Universidad de Valladolid, E-42004 Soria, Spain
| | - Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja
- Department of Agroforestry Technology, Science and Genetics, School of Advanced Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, Campus Universitario s/n, Castilla-La Mancha University, E-02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - Pedro Antonio Plaza-Álvarez
- Department of Agroforestry Technology, Science and Genetics, School of Advanced Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, Campus Universitario s/n, Castilla-La Mancha University, E-02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - María Dolores Carmona Yáñez
- Department of Agroforestry Technology, Science and Genetics, School of Advanced Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, Campus Universitario s/n, Castilla-La Mancha University, E-02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - Rocío Soria
- Department of Agronomy & Centre for Intensive Mediterranean Agrosystems and Agri-Food Biotechnology (CIAIMBITAL), University of Almeria, E-04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Raúl Ortega
- Department of Agronomy & Centre for Intensive Mediterranean Agrosystems and Agri-Food Biotechnology (CIAIMBITAL), University of Almeria, E-04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Isabel Miralles
- Department of Agronomy & Centre for Intensive Mediterranean Agrosystems and Agri-Food Biotechnology (CIAIMBITAL), University of Almeria, E-04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Lorrayne Miralha
- Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus OH 432105, USA
| | - Demetrio Antonio Zema
- Department AGRARIA, "Mediterranea" University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, I-89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|