RT Journal Article
T1 Abundance and spatial attributes of forest remnants differently influence colonization patterns of contrasting oak species
A1 Lorente Casalini, Olivia
A1 Villar Salvador, Pedro
A1 Andivia Muñoz, Enrique
A1 Valenzuela Celis, Patricio
A1 García Pérez, José Luis
A1 Oliet, Juan Antonio
A1 Rey Benayas, José María
AB ContextForest remnants in fragmented landscapes may trigger forest recovery after disturbances. Beyond extension of patches and distance to colonization sites, little is known about how the size structure of reproductive trees within patches and past land use/cover shape colonization dynamics in mountainous landscapes.ObjectivesTo assess the influence of (1) forest remnant abundance, spatial attributes (i.e. distance and altitude difference to colonization sites), and composition of reproductive trees at the individual level, and of (2) past land use/cover on the colonization of two functionally distinct Mediterranean oaks, the evergreen Quercus ilex L. and the deciduous Quercus faginea Lam., in a 55-year-old maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) plantation.MethodsWe assessed oak juvenile density in 153 plots within a Mediterranean pine plantation established on cropland and shrubland. We geolocated and measured the diameter at breast height of reproductive oaks (n = 5020) within a 500 m-radius buffer around each plot.ResultsQ. ilex showed higher colonization than Q. faginea after accounting for remnant abundance. For Q. ilex, remnant abundance was the most influential factor, whereas colonization by Q. faginea was primarily driven by distance and altitude difference between reproductive trees and colonization sites. Tree size did not affect recruitment. Former cropland exhibited higher oak colonization than former shrubland.ConclusionsIn this study, Q. ilex was a more efficient colonizer than Q. faginea, likely leading to evergreen oak dominance in pine plantations in the mid-term. Spatial attributes influenced recruitment of both oak species differently and independently of tree size. These findings help to identify high-regeneration areas more accurately, which supports the optimization of pine plantation diversification in Mediterranean mountain areas.
PB Springer
SN 0921-2973
YR 2025
FD 2025-07
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124164
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124164
LA eng
NO Lorente-Casalini, O., Villar-Salvador, P., Andivia, E. et al. Abundance and spatial attributes of forest remnants differently influence colonization patterns of contrasting oak species. Landsc Ecol 40, 157 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02177-y
NO Funding:Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study was supported by the projects EVALUAVE (PID2019-106806 GB-I00) and QueVADIS (PID2022-141762OB-I00) of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, and the REMEDINAL network of the Regional Government of Madrid (TE-CMS2017/EMT-4338). OLC was supported by a predoctoral fellowship of the Regional Government of Madrid (PIPF 2022-PEJ).
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 19 mar 2026