Tree Canopies Drive δ 13 C and δ 15 N Patterns in Mediterranean Wood Pastures of the Iberian Peninsula

Mercedes Ibañez, Salvador Aljazairi, María José Leiva, Cristina Chocarro, Roland A. Werner, Jaleh Ghashghaie and Maria-Teresa Sebastià ()
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Mercedes Ibañez: Group of Biodiversity, Functional Ecology and Global Change (ECOFUN), Program on Bioeconomy, Health, and Governance, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), 25280 Solsona, Spain
Salvador Aljazairi: Group of Biodiversity, Functional Ecology and Global Change (ECOFUN), Program on Bioeconomy, Health, and Governance, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), 25280 Solsona, Spain
María José Leiva: Plant Biology and Ecology Department, University of Sevilla (US), 41080 Sevilla, Spain
Cristina Chocarro: Department of Agriculture and Forestry Science and Engineering and Agrotecnio (DCEFA), School of Agrifood and Forestry Engineering and Veterinary Medicine (ETSEAFIV), University of Lleida (UdL), 25198 Lleida, Spain
Roland A. Werner: Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Jaleh Ghashghaie: Laboratoire d’Ecologie Systématique et Evolution (ESE), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Maria-Teresa Sebastià: Group of Biodiversity, Functional Ecology and Global Change (ECOFUN), Program on Bioeconomy, Health, and Governance, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), 25280 Solsona, Spain

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Mediterranean wood pastures are the result of traditional silvo-pastoral uses that shaped these ecosystems into a mosaic of trees and open grassland. This ecosystem structure is generally associated with increased soil fertility under tree canopies. However, the response of herbaceous plant functional types (PFTs)—grasses, legumes, and non-legume forbs—to these heterogeneous microenvironments (under the canopy vs. open grassland) remains largely unknown, particularly regarding carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) acquisition and use. Even less is known about how different tree species and environmental conditions influence these responses. In this study, we aim to assess how tree canopies influence carbon and nitrogen cycling by comparing the effects of traditional oak stands and pine plantations on herbaceous PFTs and soil dynamics. For that we use C and N content and natural isotopic abundances (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) as proxies for biogeochemical cycling. Our results show that ecosystem C and N patterns depend not only on herbaceous PFTs and the presence or absence of tree canopies but also on tree species identity and environmental conditions, including climate. In particular, pine-dominated plantations exhibited lower nitrogen availability compared to those dominated by oak, suggesting that oak stands may contribute more effectively to enhance soil fertility in Mediterranean wood pastures. Furthermore, the canopy effect was more pronounced under harsher environmental conditions, highlighting the role of trees in buffering environmental stress, particularly in arid regions. This suggests that changes in tree cover and tree species may drive complex changes in ecosystem C and N storage and cycling.

Keywords: canopy; savannah; dehesas; forbs; grasses; isotopes; legumes; plant functional types (PFTs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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