TY - JOUR
T1 - Sarcopoterium spinosum from mosaic structure to matrix structure
T2 - Impact of calcrete (Nari) on vegetation in a Mediterranean semi-arid landscape
AU - Ackermann, Oren
AU - Zhevelev, Helena M.
AU - Svoray, Tal
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) (grant 1184/11 ) and by the Koschitzky Family Foundation of Bar Ilan University . The authors wish to acknowledge Roni Blustein-Livnon from the Cartography Laboratory at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for designing several figures, students from The Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar Ilan University and Dr. Yardenah Brickman from the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University who helped in the field survey, and Dr. Pinchas Fine from the Agricultural Research Organization of Volcani Center for soil classification assistance. Also, the authors wish to thank the three anonymous referees and Prof. Erik Cammeraat for their constructive comments and suggestions that improved the article. Needless to say, the authors take responsibility for any errors in the text.
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - Sarcopoterium spinosum L. (S.p.) is a common type of dwarf shrub in the eastern Mediterranean area. This study focuses on the semi-arid south-western Judean foothills (Shephelah) in Israel, characterized by a hilly landscape with variable coverage of hard calcrete rock outcrops (Nari) on chalk. The following research questions were addressed: 1) What is the effect of calcrete rock outcrops on S.p. and the spatial composition of the vegetative landscape? 2) What are the landscape conditions in which S.p. dominates the vegetation? 3) What is the spatial structure and occupation strategy of S.p. in relation to rocky and non-rocky landscape surfaces?A field study was conducted to measure visual surface coverage of five components: S.p., shrub (excluding S.p. and including other dwarf shrubs and trees), annuals, rock, and bare soil. The results show that rock, an abiotic component, plays an important role in the semi-arid landscape of the research area. When rocky coverage is more than 14% of the surface, its presence contributes to high heterogeneity and advanced ecological niches, and governs the appearance and distribution of biotic components such as S.p. and others. Among the studied components, the relationship between rock and S.p. was found to be the strongest. Furthermore, rock and S.p. seem to fill interchangeable functions. As rock presence decreases, S.p. distribution increases. When rock coverage is less than 14%, S.p. becomes the dominant landscape component, covering 37%-77% of the surface, characterized by large patches with a high level of homogeneity along the entire slope. Our results show that the rock/S.p. ratio controls changes in the landscape structure varying from stable heterogenic mosaic to stable homogeneous S.p. matrix.
AB - Sarcopoterium spinosum L. (S.p.) is a common type of dwarf shrub in the eastern Mediterranean area. This study focuses on the semi-arid south-western Judean foothills (Shephelah) in Israel, characterized by a hilly landscape with variable coverage of hard calcrete rock outcrops (Nari) on chalk. The following research questions were addressed: 1) What is the effect of calcrete rock outcrops on S.p. and the spatial composition of the vegetative landscape? 2) What are the landscape conditions in which S.p. dominates the vegetation? 3) What is the spatial structure and occupation strategy of S.p. in relation to rocky and non-rocky landscape surfaces?A field study was conducted to measure visual surface coverage of five components: S.p., shrub (excluding S.p. and including other dwarf shrubs and trees), annuals, rock, and bare soil. The results show that rock, an abiotic component, plays an important role in the semi-arid landscape of the research area. When rocky coverage is more than 14% of the surface, its presence contributes to high heterogeneity and advanced ecological niches, and governs the appearance and distribution of biotic components such as S.p. and others. Among the studied components, the relationship between rock and S.p. was found to be the strongest. Furthermore, rock and S.p. seem to fill interchangeable functions. As rock presence decreases, S.p. distribution increases. When rock coverage is less than 14%, S.p. becomes the dominant landscape component, covering 37%-77% of the surface, characterized by large patches with a high level of homogeneity along the entire slope. Our results show that the rock/S.p. ratio controls changes in the landscape structure varying from stable heterogenic mosaic to stable homogeneous S.p. matrix.
KW - Calcrete (Nari)
KW - Mosaic structure
KW - Sarcopoterium spinosum
KW - Semi-arid Mediterranean
KW - Shrubland
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84867801150&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.catena.2012.10.001
DO - 10.1016/j.catena.2012.10.001
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AN - SCOPUS:84867801150
SN - 0341-8162
VL - 101
SP - 79
EP - 91
JO - Catena
JF - Catena
ER -