RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Edge effects of roads on temperature, light, canopy cover, and canopy height in laurel and pine forests (Tenerife, Canary Islands) A1 Delgado, Juan Domingo A1 Arroyo, Natalia L. A1 Arévalo, José Ramón A1 Fernández-Palacios, José María K1 Canary Islands K1 Canopy height K1 Canopy cover K1 Edge K1 Forest K1 Light K1 Road K1 Temperature K1 Tenerife AB The estimation of the road edge effect is useful to understand changes induced by the road network on ecosystems. Road networks on islands maybreak ecosystem integrity through microclimate edge effects, which are known to be associated with disturbances to animal and plant communities.Road edge effects have been scarcely studied on oceanic islands. In this paper we studied road edge effects on microclimate and canopy structurein laurel and pine forests in Tenerife (Canary Islands).We assessed depth of road edge effect for temperature at four vertical layers (soil, litter andair at 5 cm and 1.3m above ground), light intensity, canopy cover and height, in transects running from narrow (6–7m width) asphalt roads anddust trails to 100m to the interior of both forests. We used an ANOVA procedure with Helmert difference contrasts to identify the distances alongtransects over which edge effects were significant. We detected significant gradients for most parameters but they were consistently narrow bothwithin and between forests. In the laurel forest, we detected highly significant gradients for soil temperature, light, and canopy cover and height inboth asphalt and unpaved roads. In the pine forest, we detected a highly significant gradient for soil temperature at asphalt roads, and a significantlight gradient for both asphalt and unpaved roads. From the road edge to the forest interior, significant temperature changes persisted for only 3m,light variation persisted for 6m, and canopy cover and height changed significantly within the first 10 m. Asphalt roads and dust trails revealeddifferent patterns of variation for temperature between edge and interior. No differences were found between the two types of roads in edge-interiortrends for light or canopy structure. The abruptness of microclimate and canopy gradients was slightly higher in the laurel forest than in the pineforest, caused by a higher edge contrast in the former. The depth of the road edge effect found in laurel and pine forests was small, but it could havecumulative effects on forest microclimate and forest associated biota at the island scale. Such changes deserve attention by local road managersfor planning and design purposes. PB Elsevier YR 2007 FD 2007 LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/17790 UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/17790 LA en DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna RD 29-mar-2024