@misc{10481/42796,
year = {2016},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/42796},
abstract = {Chapters 1 and 2 analyse the success of acorn sowing, with focus on
acorn predation. Acorns were sown in two of the post-fire treatments, which
differently affected foraging by wild boars and rodents. In Chapter 1, two
different methods are tested to reduce acorn predation by rodents: deeper
sowing and the application of a chemical repellent. As these methods were
ineffective, in Chapter 2 a physical protecting device, named seed shelter, was
tested. The seed shelter eliminated acorn predation by small rodents. Its use in
a structurally more complex treatment, which reduced acorn predation by wild
boars, minimised overall acorn predation. The document that describes the
patent of the seed shelter is included as Appendix I.
Chapters 3 and 4 analyse the success and implications of reforestation
with nursery-grown seedlings. In Chapter 3, the survival of four species is
tested in the three wood management treatments across two plots. The main
objective of this chapter is to assess whether the cost of salvage logging may
be compensated by the savings obtained by performing reforestation in a more
accessible area devoid of dead boles and branches. The costs of all forestry
activities were calculated and led to the conclusion that in burnt Mediterranean
pine plantations salvage logging is not profitable. For Chapter 4, demographic
and ecophysiological data are used to study the performance of two of the
planted species (the evergreen Q. ilex and the deciduous Q. pyrenaica Willd.)
at different elevation. While the lower plot was located within the known range
of oak forests, the upper plot was above that range. Both species, particularly
the deciduous oak, performed best at the upper plot, where survival still increased with elevation. The results are interpreted in the context of the
implications of species range shifts for ecosystem restoration.
Chapters 5 and 6 analyse the natural regeneration of the holm oak.
Some large, mature holm oaks were unaffected by the fire next to one of the
study plots, and they acted as seed sources. Chapter 5 investigates the
preferences of European jays for the different post-fire treatments as habitat
and as acorn caching locations. The burnt but standing pines still acted as
habitat for jays, suggesting that leaving burnt trees standing may favour the
natural colonisation by oaks of burnt pine forests if nearby seed sources exist.
Chapter 6 studies the spatial and temporal patterns of recruitment of young
holm oaks over seven years following the fire. The Non-Intervention areas
favoured recruitment during the first years, but as the burnt pines collapsed, the
main direction of seed dispersal changed towards patches of unburnt pines that
remained within the plot. As these living pines reduced the growth of seedlings
underneath them, there was a temporal shift in the demographic conflicts
experienced by successive cohorts of oak recruitment.
In the General Discussion, besides expanding on the implications of the
individual studies, I provide an economic assessment of the different options for
assisted regeneration under several scenarios. The specific costs are
calculated in Appendix II. Planting seedlings was the most costly method for
assisted oak regeneration, and sowing with the seed shelter was the least
expensive regardless of the expected range of potential costs of the device.
At the end of the Discussion I estimate the economic value of the
ecosystem service of natural regeneration of oaks with the Replacement Cost
method, considering the cost of reforestation on the one hand (Chapters 1 to 4)
and the naturally regenerated seedling densities on the other hand (Chapters 5
and 6). Natural regeneration, including post-fire resprouting and seed dispersal,
led to potential savings of hundreds of euros per hectare due to the reduced
need for reforestation. The value of this service was particularly high near seed
sources and in areas without post-fire human management, indicating that the
common strategy of post-fire salvage logging may hamper the natural
regeneration of oaks.},
organization = {Tesis Univ. Granada. Programa Oficial de Doctorado en:  Biología Fundamental y de Sistemas},
organization = {Beca del Programa Nacional de Formación de Personal Universitario del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Ref.!P2010-0272).},
publisher = {Universidad de Granada},
keywords = {Áreas incendiadas},
keywords = {Restauración ecológica},
keywords = {Restauración ecológica},
keywords = {Encinas},
keywords = {Ecosistemas},
keywords = {Incendios forestales},
title = {Post-fire oak colonisation: Analysis of the concordance among factors of dispersal and establishment and economic valuation of ecosystem services},
author = {Leverkus, Alexandro B.},
}