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Woody species as landscape modulators: their effect on the herbaceous plants in a Mediterranean maquis

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Abstract

“Landscape modulators” are ecosystem engineers that have an impact on community structure by creating patches in the landscape mosaic. Our aim was to study the effect of evergreen-trees, as landscape modulators, on herbaceous plants in a Mediterranean maquis system in northern Israel. We examined the effects of canopy removal and cattle grazing on species richness, plant functional types, and rare plant species in two patch-types: (1) woody—under tree canopy (or the location of a removed canopy); (2) herbaceous—in open areas with no tree canopy. Patch-type and tree removal affected species richness and plant functional types. The extreme negative effect of the woody patch-type on species richness disappeared soon after the removal of the landscape modulator canopy. We conclude that the dominant effect of the evergreen woody landscape modulators can be regulated by canopy removal and grazing for maintaining patch-type and landscape diversities, and consequent high species richness in Mediterranean ecosystems, which is a main goal of global nature conservation policy.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Israel Science Foundation and the Eshkol Fund, Israel Ministry of Science, for their financial support, the Nature and Park Authority for their permission to establish the LTER plots, to A. Amitay for his help in establishing the research plots, to A. Shmida for his help in plant identification, and to M. Shachack and two anonymous reviewers for their comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science and Science Education, University of Haifa, 31905, Haifa, Israel

    Har’el Agra

  2. Department of Science Education – Biology, Faculty of Science and Science Education, University of Haifa-Oranim, 36006, Tivon, Israel

    Gidi Ne’eman

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  1. Har’el Agra
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  2. Gidi Ne’eman
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Correspondence to Gidi Ne’eman.

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Agra, H., Ne’eman, G. Woody species as landscape modulators: their effect on the herbaceous plants in a Mediterranean maquis. Plant Ecol 205, 165–177 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-009-9606-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-009-9606-3

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