<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>7</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">MONITORING TOOLS TO ASSESS VEGETATION SUCCESSIONAL REGRESSION AND PREDICT CATASTROPHIC SHIFTS AND DESERTIFICATION IN MEDITERRANEAN RANGELAND ECOSYSTEMS</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Desertification in the Mediterranean Region a Security Issue</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Submitted</style></year></dates><publisher><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Springer Netherlands</style></publisher><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The relationship between grazing intensity and ecosystem performance is complex and can depend on the prevailing ecological conditions. Previous studies have revealed that, in traditional grazing ecosystems, grazing can reduce ecosystem diversity in poor soils, but increase diversity and productivity in rich ecosystems subject to moderate grazing pressure. We are interested in detecting long-term structural changes or drift in an ecosystem before it is too late to prevent irreversible degradation. We analyzed vegetation spatial patterns and complexities of four Mediterranean communities: Tihmadit Region (Middle Atlas, Morocco), Camiyayla (Namrum) Region (Taurus Mountain, Turkey), Sykia Region (south of the Sithonia Peninsula, Greece), and Cabo de Gata Nijar Natural Park, Spain. Grazing disturbance was most intense near shelter and water points, which lead to gradients in soil surface disruption, compaction, and changes in the composition and cover of perennial vegetation. Dense matorral was more resistant to species loss than were moderately dense and scattered matorral, and grassland. Information fractal dimension decreased as we moved from a dense matorral to a discontinuous matorral, and increased as we moved to a more scattered matorral and to a grassland, which resulted in two opposing processes (interaction declining with ecosystem development, and immigration increasing with degradation) in a common pattern, i.e., small patches homogeneously distributed in the landscape. Characteristic species of the natural vegetation declined in frequency and organization in response to higher grazing disturbance, while species of disturbed areas exhibited the opposite trend. Overall, the spatial organization of the characteristic plants of each community decreased with increasing vegetation degradation, with the intensity of the trend being related to the species’ sensitivity to grazing. Developmental instability analyses of key species were used to determine the sensitivity of dominant key species to grazing pressure. Palatable species, which are better adapted to being eaten, such as Periploca laevigata, Phillyrea latifolia and Genista pseudopilosa, were able to resist moderate grazing pressure, while species of disturbed, grazed sites did not change developmental instability in response to increasing grazing pressure, such as Thymus hyemalis, Teucrium lusitanicum and Cistus monspeliensis. The usefulness of these monitoring tools in preventing land degradation is discussed.</style></abstract></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Silvoarable Systems in Europe – Past, Present and Future Prospects</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Agroforestry Systems</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2006</style></year></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">67</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">29-50</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Mixed systems of agriculture incorporating combinations of trees and crops have formed key elements of the landscape of Europe throughout historical times, and many such systems continue to function in the present day. In many cases they represent formerly widespread traditional systems in decline and a number have already become extinct or exist only in a threatened state. The causes are both practical and economic. The agricultural subsidy regime within the European Union is presently unfavourable towards silvoarable practices, which has been a major factor in their recent decline. The silvoarable systems of Europe can be split into two classes according to location – northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The latter contains not only a greater area of silvoarable cultivation, but also a greater diversity of systems due to the broader range of commercial tree and crop species grown. In general, the systems of northern Europe are limited by light, whilst those of the Mediterranean are limited by the availability of water. Mixed systems of agriculture present an opportunity for future European rural development and have the potential to contribute towards the increased sustainability of agriculture and enhancement of biodiversity, whilst preserving landscapes that are both culturally important and aesthetically pleasing. A better understanding of the legacy of traditional silvoarable systems, combined with the formulation of a consistent deﬁnition and speciﬁc European policy towards them will be invaluable in ensuring that the beneﬁts of mixed agriculture are fully exploited in the future.</style></abstract></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Forage production and small ruminant grazing responses in Mediterranean shrublands as influenced by the reduction of shrub cover</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Agroforestry systems</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1996</style></year></dates><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">225-238</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Reduction of shrub cover in Mediterranean shrublands is considered as a method of optimising forage and animal production. In this study, forage production in grazed and protected plots and grazing responses of small ruminants in cleared (25% shrub cover), slashed (34'7o shrub cover) and not treated (control, 55% shrub cover) kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.) shrublands were compared during the spring seasons of 1992, 1993 and 1994. The alterations in shrub density were done in October 1991 and pastures remained ungrazed until spring of 1992. Clearing and slashing of shrub vegetation resulted in higher amounts of available herbaceous forage and useable browse. At the end of the growing season, averaged across years, herbaceous biomass was generally two to three times higher in the treated shrub- lands than in the control; also, browse biomass was slightly less (1,078 vs 1,533 kg/ha) but easily accessible because of the open structure and the lower height of the sprouting shrubs. There were generally no grazing response differences between the cleared and slashed pastures. However, grazing animals (sheep and goats) had a higher bite rate (bites/rain; P ~&lt; 0.05) in the treated pastures than in the control. Levels of crude protein in the forage selected by animals were higher (P ~&lt; 0.05) in the treated pastures than in the control. Animals in the improved pastures maintained diets that were significantly more digestible (53.5%) than those in the control pasture (48.5'7o). Neutral detergent fibre and lignin contents of animal diets were similar in the improved pastures but lower (P &lt;~ 0.05) than those of the control. It is concluded that removing of woody vegetation in Mediterranean shrublands results in increased forage production (available herbage and useable browse) and improved forage quality and availability for small ruminants.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>