RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Old-field succession along a precipitation gradient in the semi-arid coastal region of Tenerife
A1 Otto, Rüdiger
A1 Krüsi, Bertil O.
A1 Burga, C. A.
A1 Fernández-Palacios, José María
K1 Secondary succession
K1 Succulent scrub
K1 Canary islands
K1 Chronosequence
K1 Species richness
K1 Biomass
K1 Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA)
AB Secondary succession on abandoned fields was studied in the semi-arid region of Tenerife(Canary Islands). At four different sites along a precipitation gradient four chronosequenceswere sampled. On the whole, 11 fields, abandoned for eight to 70 years, and adjacent near-tonaturalstands were studied, with regard to species richness, species composition, vegetationstructure, life form distribution and the importance of endemic/exotic species, using uni- andmultivariate statistical methods.In the three drier chronosequences species richness increased significantly during successionwhereas in the wettest sequence it peaked very early with a subsequent decline towards themature stand. Temporal changes in floristic composition were significant and revealed cleardirectional trends. We could distinguish two pathways of succession: one for the northerncoast under more humid conditions and one for the southern coast under arid conditions.Therophytes were generally substituted by nanophanerophytes, while hemicryptophytes andchamaephytes showed low abundances with peaks in late successional stages. At all sites,endemic species replaced exotic species, with regard to both relative number and cover. Therelative importance of exotic species in early succession increased with increasingprecipitation. Cover of perennials, stand height and stand biomass increased with time sinceabandonment and water availability. Floristic composition recovered faster than standstructure and, in particular, stand biomass. We have the following conclusions (i) The absence of disturbance and in presence of nearto-natural stands in the surroundings, coastal scrub on Tenerife has the capacity to regeneratecompletely albeit slowly after traditional agricultural use. (ii) The rate and pathway ofsuccession are influenced by site productivity, i.e. mean annual precipitation. (iii) Life formdistribution changed in the second phase of succession in relation with the precipitationgradient. (iv) The initially dominant exotic annual plant species seem to be a temporaryproblem only since, in the course of succession, they are substituted by native perennials.r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PB Elsevier
YR 2006
FD 2006
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/16883
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/16883
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 05-ene-2025